Syracuse, New York, Malpractice Attorneys: Emergency Room Errors
The American College of Emergency Physicians is the leading source of medical education for emergency medicine. It has published guidelines (standards) for treating nearly every kind of medical emergency. The New York State Health Department has also enacted minimum standards for emergency medicine (10 NYCRR 405 of the hospital code).
Failure to follow these standards can lead to further injury to patients and financial liability for the hospital and medical staff who failed to follow the standard of patient care. Failure to follow the commonly accepted standard of care is medical malpractice.
Powers & Santola, LLP, is one of New York's premier medical malpractice and personal injury law firms. We have the experience and the resources to bring an effective case on your behalf. We have secured millions of dollars in compensation for seriously injured people. We can help you.
If you suffered a worsening of your medical condition because of improper care in an emergency room, or a loved one died, contact the medical malpractice lawyers at Powers & Santola, LLP, in upstate New York.
Doctors and Hospitals are Responsible for Emergency Room Errors
In any emergency situation, an appropriate medical evaluation must be performed. Failure to do so results in poor patient care and liability on the part of the medical provider, as well as the employer (the hospital). Other common errors and omissions in hospital emergency rooms include:
- Failure to admit a patient in critical need of care
- Failure to diagnose or misdiagnosis of heart attack, stroke, spinal fractures, appendicitis, compartment syndrome, viral or bacterial meningitis, spinal cord compression or bowel obstruction
- Failure to respond and treat a patient promptly
- Premature discharge of a patient from the emergency room
- Failure to call in appropriate medical or surgical consults to treat a patient
- Failure to order necessary and appropriate diagnostic tests, such as EKGs, CT scans, X-rays or blood work
- Failure to review test results in a timely manner
Hospital systems and operations can create more opportunities for emergency room errors and dangerous conditions for patients:
- It is also common for the hospital to hire doctors by the day. These physicians may be more prone to emergency room errors because they are unfamiliar with the regular emergency staff and the practices and procedures in place at that hospital. There is usually little direct oversight by hospital administration to ensure these doctors are adequately qualified.
- Some patients are never even seen by a doctor during their emergency room stay. Nurse practitioners and physician's assistants provide direct patient care. The emergency room doctor simply reviews what the providers have already done, sometimes only after the patient has been sent home. If the non-physician failed to identify or understand the patient's symptom, he or she may make a wrong diagnosis. The physician's review will not uncover the missed symptoms.
Subcontracting out the critical work of the emergency room doctor does not relieve the hospital of its obligations under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) or the New York State Health Department laws. Hospitals can be held financially liable for injuries and deaths that occur in the emergency room because of errors and improper staffing and procedures.
Contact Us
If you or a loved one suffered injury in a New York hospital emergency room, talk to an experienced malpractice lawyer. Contact Powers & Santola, LLP, online or call us toll-free at 866-689-9692. We have offices in Syracuse and Albany.
