Holding hospitals accountable for medical mistakes
In an effort to hold hospitals responsible for the burden of medical expenses associated with common mistakes made during the course of treatment, health insurer WellPoint has said that they will no longer pay for certain types of preventable errors. The insurer indicates that the move was devised to spur improvement in hospital care, which can make a difference in peoples lives.
Other health insurers have taken similar steps in recent months to make hospitals absorb the cost of their own mistakes. Aetna has stated that they will not pay for treatment associated with 28 different serious medical errors, which they deemed should never happen. Medicare has also said that bedsore and other preventable injuries will impact the level of reimbursement that the government will pay to a facility.
WellPoint is the largest health insurer in the United States, with 35 million members. They have listed 11 types of hospital mistakes that they will not provide reimbursement for. These mistakes range from infections contracted from a poorly inserted catheter to performing the wrong surgery.
According to WellPoint’s new plan, the burden for costs associated with gross negligence will be lifted from the insurer and returned back to the hospital. While the policy is certainly going to save the insurance company some money, it will hopefully also give hospitals and doctors some added motivation to devote resources toward preventing common medical errors.
MEDICAL MALPRACTICE ATTORNEYS
Hospital mistakes not only lead to unnecessary medical expenses, but they also have a devastating impact on the patient. If a doctor, hospital or medical provider fails to follow the appropriate standard, they should not only be held accountable for the medical expenses at their facility, but for all of the damages they cause.
The medical malpractice attorneys at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. represent individuals who have been injured as a result of surgical errors and medical mistakes. If you, a friend or family member have suffered from a preventable mistake, determine what financial compensation may be available by requesting a free consultation and medical malpractice claim evaluation.
Hi Im curious to know what is considered a doctor or hospital mistake , and mal practice . and what is the statue of limitation ? also if a person tried to sue after the insident and was declined can a person re-sue with another lawyer ?
Thank you
Alice,
Every legal case does have a deadline, known as a statute of limitations, which requires that any claim be brought by a certain date. To determine the potential statute of limitations which may be applicable to your claim, it is best that you seek a private consulation.
Even if your claim has already been reviewed by one attorney, having a different attorney look at the circumstances may be worth while. However, if your claim was litigated with the prior attorney and reached a final disposition through the court system, you may be barred from pursuing the case further.
Once a hospital covers up a mistake, makes a few medical records disappear, tells the physical therapy and nurses to keep thier mouths shut and gets past that 1 year limitation they bteathe a big sigh of relief. That doesn’t stop the consequences of thier mistake from affecting my sister. The extra surgeries, the medical implant, the meds, the pain, the scar tissue. The one thing the hospital did do- they had all the surgical nurses on the floor take a class on compartment syndrome tp prevent it from happening in the future. Too bad for the person it happened to before
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