When a loved one dies in the hospital, families often blame Hospital Mistake in Fresno? Contact a Lawyer. However, they should be aware of the specific rules that govern such cases in California.
Request Your Medical Records: Before filing a lawsuit, you should obtain all relevant medical and billing records from the hospital. This will help you identify any potential errors and strengthen your case.
1. Misdiagnosis
Misdiagnosis is a serious problem that can have severe complications for patients. It occurs when a healthcare professional does not correctly identify or explain your symptoms, leading to the wrong treatment. This can lead to unnecessary suffering, injury, and even death for the harmed patient.
We’ve all heard stories of doctors mistaking a patient’s symptoms for another disease, such as mixing up an aortic dissection for a stroke or misinterpreting cancer symptoms for a fever. A misdiagnosis that causes harm is considered medical malpractice, and it can be hard to prove.
Two local hospitals have recently received penalties from the state for putting their patients at risk of injury and even death through a series of misdiagnosis errors. Clovis Community Medical Center and Saint Agnes Medical Center both failed to follow licensing requirements that could have resulted in serious injuries or deaths for their patients.
2. Surgery
Surgical mistakes are common, but they can be deadly. Hospitals may leave surgical instruments inside the patient’s body, or they can perform a procedure on the wrong part of the body. In some cases, doctors do not properly follow a patient’s medical history, which can lead to the wrong procedure or improper medication.
A Fresno medical malpractice lawyer can help families determine if they have grounds to file a financial negligence claim against hospitals that cause fatal or serious injuries to patients. Commonly reported hospital errors that could amount to malpractice include surgical site complications, birthing errors leading to infant injuries, misread diagnostics enabling disease progression and anesthesia errors. Hospitals that fail to meet certain standards may be subject to hefty state penalties. For example, Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno was recently hit with a $78,750 fine for leaving a foreign object in a patient during surgery in 2022.
3. Medication
As one of the largest cities in California, Fresno is home to a large number of doctors and hospitals. Yet, even in this highly-regarded healthcare hub, medical errors happen on a frequent basis.
Many of these errors are the result of a physician making an error in judgment or failing to follow established professional standards. These mistakes can lead to wrongful death or severe injury.
Hospitals are expected to provide safe and adequate care for patients. However, they can also commit medical malpractice when they fail to take certain safety precautions or follow established protocols.
Some of these errors that can be deemed to amount to medical malpractice include surgical site complications, delivery room errors that lead to baby injuries, medication misreads and reckless patient discharge. A knowledgeable medical malpractice lawyer can help evaluate whether grounds exist for a negligence claim.
4. Infection
A quartet of illnesses is “overwhelming and overloading” Fresno-area emergency rooms, medical experts say. Respiratory viruses, the flu and RSV are among the ailments crowding hospitals, especially Community Regional Medical Center in downtown Fresno.
A patient at CRMC needed a nasogastric tube placed in his stomach to receive liquids. But nurses incorrectly placed the tube into his lung instead of his stomach. This allowed fluids to pool in his lungs and he died.
In 2024, the state gave CRMC a C grade for hospital safety. It and Saint Agnes Medical Center both received C grades in that report. The two Fresno-area hospitals were cited for sanitary conditions, infections and safety problems including harm to patients. The federal government settled with the hospital system and an affiliate over claims that they offered excessive financial benefits to doctors who referred their patients to Community facilities.
5. Failure to Diagnose
As Fresno medical malpractice attorneys, we regularly hear from injured patients who suffered catastrophic treatment experiences as a result of a doctor’s failure to diagnose. Often, a delay in diagnosis results in more extensive physical harm or even death for the victim.
In 2024 alone, local hospitals like Clovis Community Medical Center and Saint Agnes Medical Center were hit with hefty state fines for violations of patient safety procedures. However, not all state health department penalties are equal.
Mike Davidson is not giving up on holding his hospital and donor network accountable for the loss of his daughter. His lawyer plans to argue that the hospital and donor network harmed his family with intentional infliction of emotional distress. They have yet to respond to his claim.