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Is it considered malpractice if I acquire a bad infection at the hospital after surgery?

A: Although medicine is an inexact science, errors are not expected to be common, and hospital infections are no exception. When an Ohio patient contracts a hospital infection that significantly impacts his or her physical health and that could have been prevented, then that patient may be eligible to file a claim for medical malpractice in Ohio.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 2 million infections are contracted in hospitals every year, and approximately 90,000 of them result in death. About 1.5 million more infections are contracted in long-term care facilities, for a total of 3.5 million each year. Treating these patients isn’t cheap – the CDC estimates that the additional medical expense reaches into billions per year. 

To declare its stance on the issue of hospital infections, the United States government declared in 2008 that Medicare, the country’s health insurance program for the elderly and disabled, would not provide reimbursements for the cost of hospital infections or any other preventable conditions that result from medical mistakes. 

What that means is that if you acquire a hospital infection while being treated, the additional expense will not be forwarded to Medicare and the hospitals will have to pay for the treatments themselves.

Although hospital errors resulting in malpractice are frequent, nothing about a malpractice case is common. Hospital infections are no different, and if you’ve contracted something in a hospital while you were treated for an injury, speak with a medical malpractice attorney in Ohio who may be able to help determine if the circumstances of your case warrant a claim for medical malpractice in Ohio. 

Help From Medical Malpractice Attorney in Ohio 

Do you have questions about your potential Ohio medical malpractice claim or hospital infection lawsuit? Before you hire a Cleveland medical malpractice lawyer, order our FREE Ohio medical malpractice guide to learn about your rights and options for legal resource in the event of a doctor or hospital’s mistake. To schedule a FREE consultation or learn more about your rights, contact the Cleveland medical malpractice lawyer team at Mellino Robenalt LLC today – 216-241-1901 or 888-457-1147.