Medical Malpractice at Platte City, MO City Hospitals
Posted in Medical Malpractice on May 12, 2020
When we need medical treatment in Platte City, we are often at our most vulnerable. We place our trust in the hands of the nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals — but not all of these healthcare providers uphold their standard of care. If you experienced medical malpractice in a Platte City hospital, you have the right to collect compensation for your injuries through a lawsuit against the provider responsible and, in some cases, the hospital itself.
What Is Medical Malpractice?
All medical professionals must uphold a certain standard of care when treating patients. Sometimes, a medical professional may break this standard of care through a negligent act or omission. This is known as medical malpractice.
Doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists, surgeons, obstetricians, and many other healthcare providers can commit this type of negligence. Medical malpractice can come in a number of forms, including the following.
- Failure to diagnose or misdiagnosing a condition
- Prescribing the wrong medication or dosage
- Failure to interpret test results correctly
- Performing surgery on the wrong body part
- Failure to adequately monitor a baby’s vitals during labor and delivery
- Administering the wrong dosage of anesthesia
Holding Missouri Hospitals Accountable for Medical Malpractice
You can file a medical malpractice lawsuit against the healthcare provider or providers who are directly responsible for your injuries. However, there are some situations in which you could hold the hospital where the malpractice occurred liable as well.
If the at-fault medical professional was an employee of the facility, you can name the hospital in your claim. However, if the professional was an independent contractor operating out of the hospital, you can hold the facility accountable under one of the following scenarios.
- All hospitals must inform you if the person treating you is an independent contractor, and will usually do so on your admissions paperwork. If the hospital failed to inform you of this fact and the contractor appeared to be an employee of the hospital, you can name the facility in your lawsuit.
- All hospitals must ensure that their independent contractors do not have a history of dangerous, reckless, or negligent behavior. If a facility does detect concerning behavior or actions, it must take action to either remove the professional or remedy the risk as quickly as possible. If you can prove that the at-fault contractor had a history of this behavior and the hospital knew about this history and failed to act, you can hold the hospital accountable.
Have You Experienced Medical Malpractice in Platte City?
You can experience medical malpractice at any healthcare facility — including the hospitals in and around Platte City, Missouri. If you are a Platte City resident and experienced an act of malpractice at a nearby medical facility such as Saint Luke’s North Hospital or North Kansas City Hospital, contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney as soon as possible.
In situations of medical malpractice, Fowler Pickert Eisenmenger Norfleet is here to help. The Kansas City medical malpractice lawyers at our Missouri law firm have over 25 years of experience helping residents of Platte City and the surrounding areas seek the compensation they need to recover from injury, especially medical malpractice.
We have a deep understanding of medicine and can tap into our wide network of medical experts to help you build the strongest case possible. Contact us today to discuss your case and to learn more about your pathway to optimal compensation.