Rockford Medical Malpractice Lawyers

Industry, Demographics and Crime Rate Present Medical Challenges for Rockford Facilities

Rockford is the third largest city in Illinois and a rust belt city that once relied heavily on industry to support its economy. When manufacturing jobs began to dry up, Rockford’s economy took a large hit and the city is currently divided into affluent and impoverished communities. Many of the remaining jobs are still linked to manufacturing and the risks involved in factory work combined with a high crime rate present a unique challenge to area hospitals tasked with providing emergency care.

How to Determine Whether Your Rockford Doctor Acted Carelessly

It is becoming more common for hospitals serving impoverished patients to cut corners when it is believed the patient will be unable to pay for his or her treatment. Every emergency room patient deserves to be treated quickly and within the facility’s duty of care, regardless of his or her financial status and ignoring important safety protocols or steps in a patient’s treatment can be considered negligence. Some common scenarios which may involve malpractice include the following.

• Failure to provide responsive care in a timely manner to those suffering from high risk or life threatening injuries. Long wait times can exacerbate the severity of injuries and it is the duty of triage to prioritize patients so that those with the most serious concerns are treated first.
• Improper diagnosis of a medical condition or failure to properly assess an injury. It is more important in the medical field than most others that professionals get things right the first time because the failure to properly diagnose or identify an injury will make it more difficult and expensive to provide adequate care in the future.
• Defective medical devices. Manufacturers of medical implants and surgical devices do not always take effective measures to ensure their products are safe prior to pushing them to market. When a defective instrument or implanted device causes an injury or medical complication, the manufacturer can be held accountable.
• Unsanitary environments. Hospital infections are becoming increasingly common among patients who have undergone surgical procedures or whose injuries include open wounds. One of the causes of hospital infections is the spread of drug resistant bacteria due to poor sanitation practices.
• Medication errors. When doctors prescribe medicines, it is important that they are first aware of any possible drug interactions and potential complications. Additionally, nurses may administer the wrong medications or excessive doses, which can cause serious reactions. In the worst cases, these simple errors can claim the life of the patient.

Grading Rockford’s Hospitals

There are three hospitals serving Rockford and its neighbors and we have gathered important information regarding trends and areas of potential concern. As Rockford medical malpractice attorneys, we believe that it is important for the public to be aware of where their hospitals are falling short and can also use this data to establish a history of negligent actions when pursuing a malpractice claim. It is our hope that this information can be used to improve the care provided to those who need it the most.

Rockford Memorial Hospital

2400 N. Rockton Avenue
Rockford, IL 61103
815-971-5000

Rockford Memorial is a level one trauma center approved to provide level three perinatal care and emergency pediatric care. It is also a critical care center for pediatric patients. This facility has a satisfaction rating of 72% and its primary areas of concern are its readmission rates, blood clot care and stroke treatment. 15.1% of patients treated for pneumonia, 23% of those with congestive heart failure and 17.5% of patients experiencing heart attacks were readmitted within thirty days of release.

Readmission has a markedly negative impact on survival rate. Two thirds of Rockford Memorial’s patients readmitted within thirty days did not survive. Half of readmitted heart failure patients did not make it and about two thirds of patients suffering from heart attacks who were readmitted died of their condition.

Only 89% of stroke patients were given treatment within 48 hours to prevent the formation of additional blood clots and less than 63% of patients who suffered a stroke were given instructions or educational materials on how to treat their conditions prior to discharge. The same was true of those who suffered from a blood clot— only 63.3% received materials to educate them on proper home care. Finally, roughly 7% of patients admitted to the hospital requiring surgical procedures were not provided with any treatment for the prevention of blood clots.

Swedish American Hospital

1401 East State Street
Rockford, IL 61104
815-968-4400

Swedish American Hospital is a level two trauma center with a pediatric emergency department. The facility has also been designated as a level two perinatal care center. Its perinatal services are excellent and its birth injury rates are much lower than state or national averages. Mothers also experience far fewer injuries during delivery than average.

Patients at this facility are twice as likely to experience postoperative hemorrhage or hematoma, however. The state average rate is 5.42 out of 1,000 patients compared to Swedish American’s rate of 11.8 per 1,000. In addition, patients receiving coronary artery bypass grafts experience a mortality rate of 51.18 per 1,000 compared to Illinois’s average of 20.36 per 1,000.

OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center

5666 East State Street
Rockford, IL 61108
815-226-2000

Saint Anthony is a level one trauma unit capable of providing emergency pediatric and level two perinatal care. It excels at perinatal care and, like Swedish American, has extremely low birth injury and delivery injuries. One of the primary areas of concern for Saint Anthony is its high hip fracture mortality rate.

Patients suffering from hip fractures at this facility are three times more likely to die than the state average. Illinois experiences an average hip fracture mortality rate of 21.81 out of 1,000 patients. 63.56 out of 1,000 patients treated at Saint Anthony which suffered hip fractures passed away. 

Mortality rates for other conditions are also statistically higher than both the state and national averages as well. 13.1% of patients admitted for pneumonia, 14.4% of patients suffering from congestive heart failure and 15.2% of heart attack patients died within thirty days of treatment. The state averages are 11.82%, 11.65% and 14.53%, respectively.

Only 82% of patients undergoing surgical procedures received treatment for the prevention of blood clots and 22% of patients released on blood thinning medications were not provided information about their medication, risk factors or how to safely use it.

Begin an Investigation to Learn if You are Entitled to Compensation Regarding Rockford Medical Negligence

While doctors never intend to cause their patients harm, they are still required to provide compensation when their mistakes result in complications or bodily harm. The policies in place at medical care facilities may also contribute to or be the direct cause of medical negligence and the best way to promote change is to hold those facilities accountable. Many patients who have been injured never come forward, and this is primarily because they do not understand their rights or are unsure of their chances of success.

The Rockford medical malpractice attorneys of Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC have successfully recovered damages on behalf of thousands of clients and we can maximize your recovery so that you do not need to incur the cost of revisionary treatment, lost wages or out of pocket expenses. Contact us today to arrange a free consultation so that we can review your legal options and evaluate your case to determine whether it is in your best interest to pursue litigation. If we are unable to help recover compensation on your behalf, our services will be free of charge.

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