Hospital Liability
If you have suffered due to medical malpractice, it is important that you recover from all responsible parties. In many cases, that is the doctors involved. In many cases, though, the hospitals themselves bear some of the responsibility.
Hospitals have a responsibility to their patients. When a hospital fails to have proper policies and procedures in place, or when it fails to ensure those policies and procedures are followed, it can result in painful complications and other injuries for patients. Victims may be able to recover for their damages.
Atlanta Hospital Negligence Lawyer
ReShea Balams is an Atlanta hospital negligence lawyer who seeks to help clients recover from all responsible parties when they have been the victims of medical malpractice. Preventable medical errors due to the failure of hospital staff can lead to expensive medical bills, along with much pain and suffering. If you’ve suffered due to medical malpractice at a hospital, call The Balams Firm today at (404) 445-2005 to schedule a free consultation.
The Balams Firm represents clients across the Atlanta area, including Johns Creek, Sandy Springs, Lawrenceville, Milton, Roswell, Forest Park, Brookhaven, Dunwoody, Alpharetta, Smyrna, Decatur, Norcross, Duluth and College Park.
Information on Hospital Liability
- Responsibility of Hospital for Staff
- Failure to Maintain or Follow Procedures
- Requirement to Maintain Proper Staffing Levels
Responsibility of Hospital for Staff
Under the doctrine of “respondeat superior,” an employer is liable for the negligence of its employees if the action was done in the scope of employment for the negligent actor. A medical professional is negligent is he or she does not meet the high standards of his or her profession.
Most doctors and surgeons are not actual employees of the hospital where they practice. They are independent contractors.
However, the nurses, orderlies, and other workers at a hospital usually are. Negligence by a nurse can cause severe health problems. A mistake while administering medication, starting an IV line, making an error on a chart, failing to notify a doctor of an emergency or making a mistake with equipment can cause complications and lead to the worsened condition of a patient.
Failure to Maintain or Follow Procedures
Hospitals are full of sick and injured people, in delicate conditions. It is therefore extremely important that hospitals maintain careful procedures and policies to minimize the spread of infection and illness and to keep patients from harm.
Sanitation is a tremendous concern in a hospital. The failure to sanitize surgical instruments, equipment, bedding and other supplies can lead to infections, like MRSA, a type of staph infection common in health care settings. Hospitals must maintain procedures to keep things as clean as possible as often as possible.
If hospitals have policies and procedures but staff fails to follow them, they may also be held liable.
Requirement to Maintain Proper Staffing Levels
The medical condition of a hospital patient can change very rapidly. One minute, a patient may be stable, and the next moment he or she may be crashing. It’s vital, therefore, that hospitals maintain the staff levels to handle any sort of emergency.
It’s also important that hospitals have the staff to continually and regularly monitor patients for any emerging crisis. Hospitals should have the personnel to consistently check on patients and ensure there is adequate staff present at all times to address any issue that may crop up.
The Balams Firm | An Atlanta Attorney to Take on a Hospital
If you’ve suffered due to medical malpractice, make sure you hold all responsible parties accountable. Hospitals may be liable for a portion of your damages. Atlanta medical malpractice lawyer ReShea Balams will seek recovery from all parties who bore responsibility for your damages, including the hospital where you were treated.
Contact The Balams Firm today to schedule a consultation. ReShea Balams represents clients through Fulton County, Gwinnett County, Cobb County, DeKalb County and Clayton County.
