Norfolk, VA Personal Injury Attorney Reports: Hospitals Not Transparent About Mistakes | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

Authors of an article in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2010 urged hospitals to have clear procedures for notifying the public and patients about errors, coordinating diagnostic testing and treatment and responding to regulatory bodies.

Even if this shift toward transparent health care is taking place elswhere, an investigation by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution indicated that some hospital mistakes such as patient suicides, surgical errors and sexual assaults remain confidential.

Georgia (GA) hospitals are required notify the state of the unexpected deaths of patients, but the Department of Community Health’s online database does not present full detils on causes or evdence that could be used to confirm or dscount uncorroborated wrongdoing charges for hospital errors that violate state or federal regulations

According to the news article, while not disclosing unanticipated deaths can protect the privacy of hospital workers, it prevents patients from discovering if a hospital has a complaint history, which can establish a pattern of inadequate care.  In addition, not disclosing hospital reports keeps taxpayers from evaluating the quality of state investigations into medical errors.

If you or a loved one suffers an injury due to inappropriate medical care, hold the responsible medical professionals accountable with the help of a medical malpractice attorney. To learn more about what to you or a loved one can recover in a medical negligence lawsuit, check out our case results.

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