Illinois Injury Law Blog

Earlier this month, National Public Radio reported that at least nine patients died in 2006 and 2007 as a result of mistakes made by medical staff at the Marion V.A. Medical Center in Illinois. According to the report, some of the doctors at that hospital were performing procedures for which they were not qualified; one of those doctors was already, at the time, under investigation for malpractice in a different state. In addition, the report noted that the medical care provided at that center contributed to injuries suffered by additional patients. As a result of an investigation by the Department of Veterans Affairs, that hospital is now one of several V.A. facilities in which doctors will be allowed to perform only some types of surgery; for others, the patients will be referred to other hospitals.

Medical treatments are often complicated, and their results are dependent on many factors; however, at times, the negligence that some patients face can be quite blatant. When negligent or intentional acts by a medical provider lead to injury to a patient, the patient may sue the medical provider for medical malpractice. In such a lawsuit, the injured party is trying to recover financial compensation for the costs of medical treatment, lost wages, and pain and suffering related to the injury caused by the medical provider. However, the injured person must prove that the actions of the medical provider fell below the standard of care that would have been provided by other similar professionals.

A study published recently by Rand International evaluated the relationship between “adverse safety outcomes” for patients and medical malpractice claims filed in California. The authors of the study concluded that “safety interventions” can potentially reduce both harm to patients and the amount of malpractice litigation: in California, when patient care improved, the number of malpractice suits dropped.