If you’re in need surgery or some kind of medical procedure, you might not have thought to check the hospital’s ratings. But if you end up using a hospital with low grades, you could be putting your life at risk.
Researchers found that the risk of dying from mistakes, infections and safety lapses has gotten worse in low-rated hospitals, according to USA Today. Patients in low rated hospitals are dying as a result of mistakes and accidents that should never have happened.
A nonprofit group called Leapfrog issued letter grades (from A to F) to hospitals based on safety and quality. In Chicago, the following hospitals received Ds:
- Jackson Park Hospital
- John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital
- Loretto Hospital
- Sinai Hospital
- Weiss Memorial
Patients in hospitals rated with Ds or Fs faced a 92 percent greater chance of suffering an avoidable death than patients in higher rated hospitals, according to USA Today.
How to avoid low-rated hospitals
If you think deaths from problems at hospitals are rare, think again. More than 160,000 people each year die from avoidable medical errors, according to USA Today. You can use the Leapfrog Group‘s online tool to find out the grade a hospital received. Medicare.gov also has an online tool to learn more about a hospital, including its overall quality rating.
Types of medical malpractice in hospitals that can lead to serious injuries or worse include but are not limited to:
- Hospital infections
- Surgical mistakes
- Medication errors
- Wrong tests performed
- Failure to diagnose and treat properly
What to do if a loved one died from a medical error?
The doctor or hospital administrators won’t admit their mistake led to the death of a patient whether the death occurred at a high- or low-rated medical facility. It’s worth noting that while mistakes are more common at low-rated hospitals, even doctors working in A-rated hospitals make avoidable errors.
Insurance companies for the doctors and hospitals typically will fight families who seek compensation and justice for the loss of loved ones due to medical malpractice. The most effective way to pursue a hospital wrongful death claim is to work with an experienced medical malpractice attorney. Deratany & Kosner puts resources and experience to work for families who lost loved ones because of hospital mistakes. For a free and confidential consultation, contact us today to find out how we can help.