When you enter a hospital, you put your trust in the system and team of medical professionals. However, not all hospitals provide safe care that complies with health and safety guidelines and hospital malpractice laws. If you or a loved one has been a victim of medical negligence, it is important to understand how hospital safety grades & Michigan malpractice claims relate.
Medical malpractice is a serious issue in Michigan hospitals and can leave you feeling betrayed, overwhelmed, and confused while also navigating health complications. At Goethel Engelhardt, PLLC, you can hire a Muskegon personal injury lawyer who understands how to analyze medical errors and hold hospitals accountable for their failure to maintain a safe environment.
Understanding Hospital Safety Grades and Why They Matter
Hospital safety grades are designed to give patients a clear, accessible way to evaluate the safety of different medical facilities. The Leapfrog Group is one organization committed to providing grades based on safety measures and safety risks.
Hospitals are assigned a letter grade, A, B, C, D, or F, depending on their ability to prevent medical errors, infections, and other preventable issues. Some factors involved in calculating these grades include:
Some studies estimate that about 400,000 hospitalized patients are victims of preventable harm every year. When it comes to analyzing hospitals in Michigan, a University of Michigan article points out that safety scores vary widely between local hospitals. Your risk of infections, injuries, and treatment errors shouldn’t depend on where you receive care.
A low safety grade can reflect systemic problems that may lead to negligence, such as failing to follow proper treatment procedures, poor infection control and sanitation protocols, or even a lack of proper staffing and supervision. Issues like poor sanitation and failing to adhere to hospital protocols are not only causes of low safety grades, but can also be key failures involved in a hospital malpractice case. When a hospital fails to meet the accepted standards of care, it can lead to the harm of a patient.
A hospital malpractice case varies from case to case. Some of the most common types of hospital malpractice cases we help patients face at Goethel Engelhardt, PLLC, include:
- Surgical errors
- Hospital-acquired infections
- Birth traumas
- Failure to properly monitor and diagnose. When patients are in the hospital’s care, the expectation is attentive and thorough monitoring to prevent and respond to complications, and to quickly diagnose and treat if such complications do occur.
- Medication errors. The rate of medication error is 6.5 per 100 hospital admissions. Despite being such a common issue in hospitals, it is still a serious safety risk to patients. Medication errors are more likely to happen when there are gaps in communication or record-keeping.
No matter what issue led to your injury or worsening medical condition, it’s important to understand that you do have legal rights. An attorney can explain the hospital malpractice laws that apply to your case so you can take the right next steps after medical malpractice.
In a hospital malpractice claim in Michigan, four elements must be proven. The first is that a duty of care existed between the hospital and you as a patient. Then, you must prove that the hospital system or staff failed to provide this standard of care. Then, you must prove that the hospital’s actions directly led to the injury or health condition. Lastly, you must demonstrate measurable damages you have experienced due to the hospital’s negligence.
Hire a Hospital Malpractice Attorney Who Understands the Importance of Safety
Safety grades provide a unique insight into the risks involved in receiving care from a certain hospital. At Goethel Engelhardt, PLLC, we have over 40 years of experience helping victims move forward after the hospital system let them down. Contact us to schedule a confidential case consultation.
