6 Facts to Know about Emergency Room Errors (Pt. 3)

Ending our three-part blog series 6 Facts to Know about Emergency Room Errors, below is some final important info about ER mistakes and medical malpractice.

Fact 5 – When emergency room errors cause patient injuries, hospitals and negligent medical professionals can be held accountable.

When emergency room errors lead to patient injuries (or, more tragically, patient deaths), the responsible medical professional(s) – like ER doctors, nurses, surgeons, etc. – can be held responsible in malpractice lawsuits. What injured people may not realize, however, is that, in some of these cases, the hospital where the ER is located and/or that staffs the negligent medical professionals may also be named as a defendant in medical malpractice cases.

Specifically, some of the factors that can lead to hospitals also being accountable for emergency room errors may include (but are by no means limited to) hospitals:

• Not running background checks on medical professionals before hiring them
• Not having sufficient and/or appropriate policies and procedures in place for the intake, tracking and/or discharge of patients
• Not having sufficient beds to treat patients in an ER
• Not having sufficient security for ERs.

Here, it’s also important to point out that, when hospitals are named as defendants in malpractice cases related to emergency room errors: 

• The value of the case can increase.
• The complexity of the case usually does increase.
• Dealing with hospital insurers and corporate lawyers can add some additional challenges to these cases, making it critical that injured people have experienced malpractice attorneys on their side to aggressively advocate on their behalf.

Fact 6 – Emergency room errors are often the basis of medical malpractice lawsuits.

In fact, as the Physician Insurer Association of America (PIAA) has reported:

• Emergency rooms are the areas of hospitals that tend to generate the most medical malpractice lawsuits.
• Over the past 20 or so years, the average payouts for civil cases related to emergency room errors have more than doubled.

In line with these facts, the Wall Street Journal has also reported that between 37 and 55 percent of malpractice cases related to emergency room errors involved allegations of diagnostic mistakes.

Mount Vernon Medical Malpractice Lawyers at the Law Firm of Hassakis & Hassakis, P.C.

Have you or a loved one been hurt by emergency room errors or any type of medical negligence? If so, the experienced and trusted Mount Vernon medical malpractice lawyers at the Law Firm of Hassakis & Hassakis, P.C. are ready to stand up for your rights.

Since 1950, we have been providing the highest quality legal services and representation to our clients. Our trusted attorneys focus on our clients’ needs, we are passionate about our clients, and we do everything we can to help them get the maximum possible compensation for their losses and injuries so they can focus on recovery and moving on with their life.

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If you are ready to learn more about your best legal options and how we can help you, contact us by calling (888) 896-9381 or by emailing us using the form at the upper right-hand side of the page. We can provide you with a free, thorough assessment of your case, along with professional advice regarding the best manner in which to move forward.