Although rising healthcare costs get the most news coverage, medical errors are another significant challenge facing patients. When mistakes are made, patients’ and families’ lives change forever. Understanding the data behind hospital incidents provides valuable context for their experiences and potential legal options. The stats serve as an important resource if you are wondering if you have grounds for a medical malpractice claim.
What Are the Common Types of Medical Malpractice Lawsuits in Pennsylvania?
These are the most common types of medical malpractice lawsuits that our firm handles:
- Medication Errors: Examples include overlooking hazardous drug interactions, wrong dosages, and administering the wrong drug.
- Delayed Diagnosis or Misdiagnosis: Incorrectly diagnosing serious conditions like cancer and heart disease.
- Hospital Malpractice Lawsuits: These focus on systemic failures, like inadequate policies and understaffing.
- Birth Injuries: Typically resulting in the largest plaintiff compensations, birth injuries can cause permanent physical disabilities.
- Surgical Errors: Leaving foreign objects in the body and wrong-site operations also lead to high payouts in medical malpractice claims.
These types of medical malpractice lawsuits often involve substantial damages, particularly when they result in long-term disabilities or significant financial losses. Plaintiffs may recover compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and non-economic damages, including pain and suffering.
How Much Money Gets Awarded in Pennsylvania Medical Malpractice Lawsuits?
The most recent statistics from the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania are from 2023. That year, there were 1,485 medical malpractice filings, with these awards:
- $500,000 or less: 6
- More than $500,000, up to $1 million: 3
- More than $1 million, up to $5 million: 10
- More than $5 million, up to $10 million: 0
- Over $10 million: 6
Bear in mind that those are jury awards and do not include out-of-court settlements.
What Medications Are More Likely to Cause Patient Harm?
According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety Network, some classes of medications are more prone to administration errors that result in patient harm. These are called “high alert” medications. Examples include insulin, anticoagulants, opioids, and chemotherapeutic agents.
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices recommends bedside dual nurse verification, simplified instruction, protocolized prescribing, robust documentation, and use of standardized administration practices for medical professionals handling those medications.
Are There More Medical Errors at Low-Rated Hospitals?
According to some sources, yes. Leapfrog Ratings rates hospitals A, B, C, or D. A third of those received A’s, and fortunately, only six percent received D’s. They concluded that:
- Patients treated at C-rated hospitals had an 88 percent higher risk of avoidable deaths through medical errors.
- Patients treated at B-rated hospitals had a 35 percent higher risk of avoidable death through medical errors.
Medical errors do not always qualify as medical malpractice. Healthcare professionals are obligated to uphold high standards of patient care, but mistakes are inevitable.
Medical malpractice isn’t about minor mistakes; it is unreasonable or careless conduct that directly causes patient injuries. While the chances of receiving million-dollar awards are rare, fair compensation settlements are not as uncommon.
Talk to a Chester County Medical Malpractice Lawyer at Samuel Anyan Attorney At Law
If you believe that a medical error harmed you or someone you love, you don’t have to face the consequences alone. Samuel Anyan Attorney At Law advocates for patients harmed by medical negligence. Call a Chester County medical malpractice lawyer at 833-372-6946 or complete our online form for a free consultation today. Located in Philadelphia, we serve clients in Chester County, Delaware County, Montgomery County, Bucks County, Dauphin County, Berks County, Lehigh County, and Northampton County.