Hospital Readmissions: A Sign of New York Medical Malpractice

Understanding Hospital Readmissions: Is it New York Medical Malpractice?

Did you go to the emergency room or emergency department with what you thought was a serious condition, only to be discharged much quicker than you thought you would be, only to be readmitted days or even hours later with a much worse condition?  If the answer to this unfortunate question is yes, you may be the victim of New York medical malpractice.  This is because a hospital readmission is a clear sign that your initial visit either had a misdiagnosis, or the treatment that was provided to you ended up resulting in much worse injury then you came in with.  In either situation, our Kingston medical malpractice lawyer explains your rights.

Hospital Readmissions and Medical Malpractice

A hospital readmission is considered when a patient is discharged from the hospital only to return within a fews days (at most) with the same condition that may have worsened.  Hospital readmissions are bad.  Not just as signed of New York medical malpractice, but also for the bottom line of a hospital.  In fact, the raising costs of healthcare has been attributed to, in a large part, hospital readmissions.  Meaning that hospital readmissions are one of the larger costs of healthcare.  Many times this could be nearly avoided with more thorough and appropriate care, the first time.

But this is not always the case.  Sometimes in a busy ER, the nurses and doctors will not give all patients an equal assessment or really look for deeper issues.  Rather, they will immediately take the easy way out and send a patient home.  For instance, in an aortic dissection case, a patient was sent home with acid reflux and other non-descriptive pain after tests for a heart attack and stroke came back negative.  Well, that patient passed away when the aortic dissection was allowed to continue to grow until it eventually burst.  This was an unnecessary death that could have been avoided with better care and treatment, rather than “churn and burn” but the hospital.  

Anytime you have been re-admitted into a hospital and suffered an injury, it could be a signed of New York medical malpractice which should be evaluated by a Kingston medical malpractice lawyer.  Healthcare providers should be liable for these mistakes, and victims compensated for their injuries.  

But what do you think?  I would love to hear from you!  Leave a comment or I also welcome your phone call on my toll-free cell at 1-866-889-6882 or you can drop me an e-mail at jfisher@fishermalpracticelaw.com.  You are always welcome to request my FREE book, The Seven Deadly Mistakes of Malpractice Victims, at the home page of my website at www.protectingpatientrights.com.