We rely on hospitals for a variety of reasons, including emergency care as well as ongoing treatment of existing conditions. Unfortunately, there are times when medical professionals in a hospital are negligent and fail to uphold adequate standards of care. When this occurs, patients suffer. At The Weitz Firm, LLC, our team is here to help if you need a Philadelphia hospital negligence attorney. Let us use the resources of our office to conduct a complete investigation into your claim so we can help ensure you recover the compensation you are entitled to.

Who can be held liable for hospital negligence in Philadelphia?

When most people think of medical professionals at the hospital, they think of doctors. However, there are many other types of medical professionals that operate behind the scenes at the hospital to help ensure that patients receive adequate medical care. Unfortunately, any of these individuals can make a preventable medical error that causes harm to a patient. Any of the following medical professionals could be held liable in these situations:

  • Doctors
  • Surgeons
  • Nurses
  • Lab technicians
  • Pharmacy technicians
  • Pharmacists
  • Physical therapists
  • Physician’s assistants
  • Administrative personnel, and others

When it comes to determining which party could be held liable, we often find that liability could fall onto the hospital itself through the theory of vicarious liability. In other words, if the medical professional who made a mistake was operating within the scope of their employment, then the hospital could be held liable for their actions.

What are some examples of hospital negligence?

There are various ways that hospitals and their employees could be held responsible for negligence, including cases arising due to the following:

  • Surgical staff failure to remove foreign objects from a person’s body
  • Failing to put up bed rails to protect patients who are at risk of falls
  • Failing to respond to a patient’s request for help
  • Administering the wrong medications or the wrong dosage of a medication
  • Errors made due to overworked medical staff
  • Failing to follow patient safety standards
  • Inadequate training of hospital medical personnel
  • Inadequate supervision of medical personnel

Time limit to file medical malpractice claims in Philadelphia

Victims of medical malpractice in Philadelphia need to be aware that they have a limited amount of time to file a lawsuit in these cases. The Pennsylvania medical malpractice statute of limitations is two years from the date the malpractice occurred. However, this two-year time frame will not begin until the date the patient knew or should have known that their injury was caused by hospital negligence.

With that in mind, we do need to let you know that there is an overall seven-year statute of repose in place for these cases. No medical malpractice claim can be filed more than seven years after the alleged malpractice occurred, regardless of when the mistake was discovered.

Call our Philadelphia hospital negligence attorneys today

If you or somebody you care about has been injured or become ill due to the negligent actions of a hospital employee, let the team at The Weitz Firm, LLC get to work helping you today. We have extensive experience investigating the negligent actions of doctors, surgeons, nurses, and various other types of hospital employees. Our goal is to help ensure that our clients recover the compensation they are entitled to in these situations. When you need a Philadelphia hospital negligence attorney, you can contact us for a free consultation of your case by clicking here or calling 267-587-6240.

FAQs for Hospital Negligence Attorneys Philadelphia

Studies show that an estimated more than 250,000 people across the United States die each year from hospital negligence and medical errors. However, other studies say that as many as 440,000 Americans die at the hands of negligent doctors, surgeons, and other healthcare providers every year.

Hospital negligence is a tricky subject. Although there is no denying that medical malpractice is a widespread problem that affects millions of Americans each year, proving that the hospital or its staff members were negligent requires the help of a Philadelphia hospital negligence attorney.

Do I Have a Medical Malpractice Case if I’m Not Satisfied with the Results of My Surgery / Treatment?

No, simply because you are not satisfied with the results of your surgery, medical treatment, or other procedure does not entitle you to pursue a medical malpractice claim in Pennsylvania.

In fact, doctors never give guarantees when it comes to medical results. Just because the results of your treatment or surgery are unsuccessful or unexpected does not necessarily mean that hospital negligence occurred.

In other words, if you are not happy with the course of treatment or the medical results, you cannot sue for medical malpractice unless the hospital or its staff members failed to provide quality care. Likewise, any deviation from the accepted standard of care applicable to a particular medical procedure is considered medical malpractice.

What Are the Most Common Types of Hospital Negligence in Pennsylvania?

A hospital’s negligence can lead to harm to not just one patient but multiple patients. These are the most common forms of negligence in Pennsylvania hospitals:

  • Failure to obtain informed consent (a hospital and its medical personnel are required to obtain the patient’s written consent to proceed with a treatment or surgery after disclosing all known risks);
  • Hospital understaffing, which occurs when there is a shortage of medical personnel;
  • Unsanitary conditions at the hospitals, which increase the risk of exposure to harmful bacteria and viruses.
  • Premature discharge, which occurs when the hospital discharges a patient before he or she is ready to be released;
  • Medical miscommunication between healthcare providers;
  • Patient dumping, which is a term used to describe the common practice of refusing treatment, screening, and stabilization services because of the patient’s inability to show proof of insurance or afford the medical services;
  • Hospital alarm fatigue, which occurs when nurses and other medical professionals grow indifferent to clinical alarm sounds, thinking that they are false; and
  • Physician burnout, which occurs when a doctor works long shifts in a high-stress environment, which, in its turn, increased the risk of medical errors.

How to Avoid Injury When Visiting an Emergency Room?

It may seem that emergency rooms are supposed to be the most error-free places in the healthcare industry. Unfortunately, that is not true.

Fortunately, our Philadelphia hospital negligence lawyer knows what you can do to prevent avoidable negligence on the part of medical professionals in emergency rooms. Here are the steps you can take to avoid injury in an emergency room:

  • Ask what the staff members are doing and why, especially when receiving any medication, treatment, or diagnosis; and
  • Get all of your discharge information in writing, including the names of the doctors who provided medical care.

These two practical tips can help avoid preventable medical mistakes and negligence when visiting emergency rooms because ERs are infamous for their personnel shortages and are known to be high-stress environments where errors can be made by burnout physicians, overworked or sleepy doctors, inattentive or incompetent medical professionals.

What You Can Do

If you suspect that you or a loved one have been harmed due to the negligence of hospital staff, you need to seek legal assistance. Medical malpractice cases, though common, are hard to prove and win.

That does not mean that you have no case, it simply means that you need a strong legal team to have your back. At The Weitz Firm, LLC that is exactly what you are getting. When you need a hospital negligence attorney in Philadelphia, you can count on us to work tirelessly on your behalf. We want to make sure you get the compensation you need for your medical expenses and pain and suffering damages. You can contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or calling 267-587-6240.

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