Dangerous Hospitals in Your Neighborhood?

Several hospitals in Northeast Ohio recently scored very low on safety in a study conducted by Consumer Reports. On a one to 100 scale, the highest score reported was a 72, while the lowest was 39. To arrive at the score, researchers evaluated each hospital on the following six factors:

• How often patients had to be re-admitted to the hospital after discharge
• How well the medical staff communicated with patients regarding medication and discharge instructions
• The number of infections patients received while in the hospital
• The number of unnecessary CT scans
• How many patients experienced medical complications as a result of their hospital stay
• The mortality rate among patients as a result of their hospital stay

The findings by Consumer Reports are disappointing, but not necessarily surprising. Unsanitary hospital conditions and errors made by medical personnel are one of the top three causes of death in this country. The report suggests that if serious changes aren't made in the medical industry, it will cost 2.25 million people their lives in the next 10 years. A huge part of this problem is that hospitals are not always forthcoming with the information contained in this report. In fact, only 18 percent of hospitals nationwide participated in the Consumer Reports survey.

Nager, Romaine and Schneiberg Co., L.P.A. is a personal injury law firm that has years of experience in medical malpractice cases. Despite the growing number of claims, medical malpractice remains one of the most difficult areas of personal injury law to prove. The burden of proof is completely on you as the injured patient to show that the doctor, clinic or hospital that treated you acted in a negligent manner. Our attorneys will aggressively pursue this proof and fight for your right to fair compensation in your medical malpractice case.