Tennessee Injury Law Center
Hospitalists are a relatively new phenomenon in the medical field and it logically follows that from time to time these doctors will be subject to medical malpractice lawsuits.
As doctors who care for patients in the hospital, the growth of hospitalists is the recognition that patient outcomes will be improved if there is a doctor on site coordinating patient care. This approach makes sense to us – the idea of trained doctors on-site seems to increase the likelihood that patient needs will be met and errors will be reduced. However, that does not mean that errors will not occur or that patients will not be injured by those errors.
One medical malpractice insurer, The Doctor’s Company, has done a study of the 113 claims against hospitalists it insures that arose from 2006-2010.
Here are the five major allegations made by medical malpractice plaintiffs:
- improper management of treatment – 40%
- Failure to diagnose – 28%
- Delay in diagnosis – 18%
- Improper medication management – 9%
- Improper performance of treatment or procedure – 5%
Over 51% of the claims alleged that the medical error caused death.
The study concluded that the failure to diagnose and the delay in diagnosis were the leading cause of payments to injured and deceased patients. The study also explained that some number of claims was related to the failure of the health care providers to communicate between themselves on who was supposed to be responsible for providing patient care.
I have represented Tennessee medical malpractice victims for my entire career, over 31 years. We would be honored to discuss your potential case with you – we have no charge for an initial consultation. If we determine your case has merit and that we are able to help you, we accept representation on a contingent fee basis. Call us at 866-812-8787 or fill out the case evaluation form if you need our help.