Hospital communication failures in Michigan aren’t just annoyances that lead to missed appointments, delays at the pharmacy, and exhausting games of phone tag. In the most extreme cases, miscommunication with your doctor can lead to injury, illness, or even death. If your healthcare provider has harmed you by failing to adequately communicate key medical information, you may have grounds to take legal action in Michigan.
If You Were Injured or Became Ill Because Your Doctor Failed to Communicate, Hire a Hospital Malpractice Lawyer
The HIPAA Journal, a healthcare industry publication with a focus on federal regulations and patient privacy, recently reported that the Harvard-based risk management group CRICO conducted an analysis of 23,000 malpractice cases and found nearly a third of them, more than 7,000, were because of communication failures. These 7,000 cases included around 2,000 fatalities and led to around $1.7 billion in malpractice costs.
If you have been harmed by a hospital miscommunication in Michigan, you are not alone. Michigan hospital malpractice laws give you access to powerful legal recourse when a doctor’s failure to communicate leaves you injured. However, a hospital malpractice case can be complex and difficult to manage without advanced legal training and knowledge of the healthcare industry. This is where a medical malpractice attorney in Michigan becomes a key asset.
Some types of cases in which the hospital malpractice team at Goethel Engelhardt, PLLC can intervene include:
- A doctor failed to diagnose a condition correctly, leading to delayed or improper treatments, prolonged distress, and the need for additional medical care to correct the mistake.
- A doctor delays telling you about a serious condition, or fails to adequately explain the seriousness of a condition.
- Medical staff do not adequately explain all available treatment options, leading to poor outcomes.
- Your healthcare provider prescribes you a new medication but fails to inform you that you need to stop taking one of your current medications, resulting in serious side effects or overdose.
These are just a few common examples of scenarios where a doctor’s failure to communicate may rise to the level of legally actionable medical negligence. In the real world, cases can become very complex, with communication failures taking subtle forms or being found in conjunction with other forms of medical malpractice.
Nobody goes to the hospital expecting to be harmed by negligence, but a 2024 study tracking the links between miscommunication and malpractice bleakly notes that one in 10 patients is harmed while seeking healthcare, with 3 million annual worldwide deaths attributable to safety incidents. Poor communication is one of the factors contributing to these preventable incidents.
If you or your loved one are among these many injured patients, you are more than just a statistic. If you are the victim of negligence, you are legally entitled to seek justice. The highly adept hospital malpractice attorneys at Goethel Engelhardt, PLLC can help.
Responding to “The Michigan Model”
“The Michigan Model” is a healthcare industry buzzword that refers to a method of dealing with patients who have been harmed by negligence. It is called the Michigan Model because it originated at the University of Michigan Health Center in Ann Arbor. The Michigan Model focuses on honest, proactive communication, as well as empathy and apology.
While that sounds great on the surface, it is important to remember that the actual purpose of the Michigan Model isn’t to break bad news to patients in a way that is respectful, direct, and informative. It is also about engaging harmed patients emotionally to reduce the total number of medical malpractice claims.
It is certainly important to listen to what your provider has to say about the mistakes they made and the harm they caused you; however, you have a right to take legal action when a doctor harms you, no matter how polite, helpful, or genuinely apologetic they may be.
Pursue Justice for Hospital Errors
The dedicated team of medical malpractice attorneys at Goethel Englehardt, PLLC, has been advocating for victims of negligence for over 40 years. You can trust our team to take on powerful medical attorneys and insurance companies while you focus on your physical recovery.
FAQs About Michigan Hospital Communication Failures
What Percentage of Medical Errors Occur Because of Communication Failures?
The exact percentage of medical errors that occur because of communication failures is not known, but a recent study referenced above examined 23,000 malpractice cases and determined that communication issues were at the root of more than 7,000 of them. That suggests that around 30% of malpractice cases may occur because of communication failures.
What Are the Consequences of Ineffective Communication in Healthcare?
The consequences of ineffective communication in healthcare are many and potentially very severe. Depending on the specific circumstances, failed communication within a healthcare system, or between a provider and a patient, can lead to treatment delays, diagnoses that go unexplained, missed appointments, and medication errors. In the most extreme circumstances, a hospital’s communication failures can even lead to a tragic wrongful death.
What Qualifies for Medical Malpractice in Michigan?
Many different events qualify as medical malpractice in Michigan, from surgical mistakes to medication errors to negligence in long-term care facilities. For a situation to be legally actionable medical malpractice in Michigan, a few elements must be satisfied:
- The plaintiff was a legitimate patient seeking care at the time of the incident.
- A doctor or other healthcare provider failed to meet the standards expected of them.
- This failure led directly to injuries or other legally compensable damages.
What Are Some Communication Problems That May Arise in a Medical Office?
Some communication problems that may arise in a medical office include failing to check messages, delays in calling in crucial prescriptions, incorrectly scheduling critical procedures, failure to call back patients with urgent test results, or failing to communicate effectively between different departments. Hospitals are busy, complex, and stressful, so miscommunications are always a possibility. Unfortunately, a hospital is one of the few environments where routine workplace miscommunication can lead to an injury or death.
If You Have Been Hurt Due to Hospital Miscommunication, Goethel Engelhardt, PLLC, Can Help
If you or a loved one is sick or injured because your doctor failed to communicate properly, you may have a valid medical malpractice claim on your hands. Contact Goethel Engelhardt, PLLC, Michigan’s premier hospital malpractice firm, to set up a completely confidential consultation so we can listen to the details of your experience and offer some preliminary feedback as to your next steps.
