Rockford Medical Malpractice Lawyer

Rockford Medical Malpractice Attorneys

Were you or someone you love injured by your doctor's negligence? You have legal options so that you can get back on track with your life as quickly as possible.

You need an experienced medical malpractice attorney who will fight for justice. We're here to help. At Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC, our personal injury attorneys are legal advocates for medical malpractice victims to protect their rights and ensure they receive justice.

Our medical malpractice lawyers have decades of experience representing injury victims harmed by medical mistakes. Call our Rockford personal injury attorneys today at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone call) or use the contact form to schedule a free consultation.

Injuries from medical mistakes are on the rise in America. The CDC estimates that over 250,000 patients die each year due to preventable errors in hospitals across the country.

John Hopkins Medicine estimates that medical errors injure more than eight million people annually, and many patients who suffer from a medical mistake never fully recover from their injuries. In addition, this data reveals that families often face steep hospital bills for treatment and care after an injury has occurred.

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, the city's economy took a significant hit. As a result, the city is currently divided into affluent and impoverished communities.

Many of the remaining jobs are still linked to manufacturing. The risks involved in factory work combined with a high crime rate present a unique challenge to area hospitals tasked with providing emergency care.

Medical procedures do not always go according to plan, especially when there are obvious health risks. When careless behavior or negligence results in serious complications or injuries, injury victims have the right to demand damages comparable to the value of corrective care and financial losses.

The Legal Need for a Rockford Medical Malpractice Lawyer

The Illinois medical malpractice injury attorneys of Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC represent clients who have been harmed due to medical mistakes, negligent care, and reckless behavior on the physicians meant to make them well.

When trying these cases, we try to establish a pattern of irresponsible behavior. Therefore, we've compiled data below to highlight the areas of most significant concern for each of the area's hospitals.

Contact the northern Illinois medical malpractice injury lawyers at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC. We offer free consultations to review your remedies, rights, and options to resolve your legal issue.

In addition, our personal injury lawyers can provide aggressive representation for every victim of medical malpractice residing in Rockford, IL, and surrounding areas.

What Is Medical Malpractice?

According to our medical malpractice lawyers and the Illinois State Bar Association, medical malpractice is a legal term used to describe an injury sustained as a result of negligent or reckless behavior on the part of a medical professional during their treatment of a patient.

Many issues may result in a medical malpractice lawsuit. For example, it can arise from a failed surgery, misdiagnosis, prescription error, or neglect from a caregiver that results in the death of a patient.

For a party to be considered negligent, they must have breached their duty to act in the "reasonable" professional standard of care. It means that your medical malpractice attorney must prove that medical professionals treated you differently than they would have treated another patient and that you sustained harm as a result.

Medical Malpractice Statistics for Winnebago County

Data reveals that medical malpractice cases in Rockford, IL often involve failure to diagnose and surgical errors. According to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, 5,288 medical malpractice lawsuits were filed in a county comprising just over 147,000 residents.

Many of these cases involved the negligent actions of hospitals and doctors who routinely treat patients due to the high volume of cases filed in an average year.

With the attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC, residents residing in Winnebago County have representation to fight for their rights to maximum compensation for their injuries.

Contact Our Law Firm Today

If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident or suffered injury as the result of medical malpractice, do not hesitate to contact the personal injury lawyers of our law office at (888) 424-5757 for a free case consultation.

Our trial lawyers handle all medical malpractice cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning that you'll never have to pay a penny out of pocket for our services.

How to Determine Whether Your Northcentral Illinois Medical Professional 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 their treatment, even in the Rockford area.

Every emergency room patient deserves to be treated quickly and within the facility's duty of care, regardless of their financial status. Ignoring necessary safety protocols or steps in a patient's treatment can be considered negligence.

Some common scenarios which may involve a victim of medical malpractice include:

• Medical professionals' failure to provide: Responsive care on time to those suffering from high risk or life-threatening injuries could result in medical negligence. In addition, long wait times can exacerbate the severity of injuries, and triage must prioritize patients so that those with the most severe concerns are treated first.
• Improper diagnosis of a medical condition or failure to accurately assess an injury is more critical in the medical field than most other professionals to get things right the first time. In addition, failure to diagnose or identify an injury accurately 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 adequate measures to ensure their products are safe before pushing them to market. As a result, the manufacturer can be held accountable when a defective instrument or implanted device causes an injury or medical complication.
• 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, they must first be aware of any possible drug interactions and potential complications. Additionally, nurses may administer the wrong medications or excessive doses, which can cause severe reactions. A simple mistake can claim the life of the patient in a basic medical malpractice case.
• Products liability: The doctor, surgeon, or other health care provider might have been negligent by using a defective medical device or product that led to the patient's injuries or death.

Medical Malpractice and Wrongful Death

Medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in the United States. At times, the negligence by the nursing staff, medical team, or hospital is so egregious that it leads to a preventable death, like when performing an unnecessary treatment or leaving surgical instruments inside the patient after a procedure.

According to statistics, there are 2.5 million people hospitalized in the United States each year. Yet, preventable medical mistakes kill an estimated 100,000 of them, which means that a fatal medical error occurs in one of 25 hospitalized patients.

In the aggregate, these errors add up to 440,000 preventable deaths each year, making medical mistakes the third leading cause of death in the United States. A large portion of these deaths could have been prevented had the medical team followed established protocols and federal/state regulations on providing the best standards of care.

The decedent's estate or surviving family members can file a preventable death lawsuit seeking financial compensation for damages. Typically, these damages include:

• Hospitalization costs and medical bills
• Lost weekly paycheck and future lost earnings
• Funeral & burial expenses
• Loss of companionship and consortium
• Lost familial support and guidance
• Punitive damages

The caregiver can be sued for negligence, even if the family member was negligent as well. The filing of avoidable death claims is not dependent on criminal charges but is based on civil litigation.

Medical Malpractice and Childbirth Injuries

Statistics show that many incidents of childbirth injuries (congenital disabilities) are the result of medical malpractice. In some cases, the obstetrician or nursing team fails to properly monitor the fetus during pregnancy, labor, or delivery.

Those responsible for providing care can be held legally accountable for a medical malpractice claim in these incidences.

Common birth injuries include:

• Erb's Palsy: This neurological condition results when the infant's brachial plexus (a stretched or torn bundle of nerves in the neck region). Erb's Palsy results when the nerve injury occurs during birth, most often when the infant's shoulder becomes stuck behind the mother's pubic bone or when the infant descends into the birth canal facing upward.
• Brachial Palsy: Another neurological damage occurs when the baby's shoulder and arm nerves are stretched or torn.
• Cerebral Palsy: This condition occurs when the infant's brain is damaged during birth due to oxygen deprivation, lack of blood supply to the brain, or an injury to the brain. Cerebral Palsy can also be caused by prenatal infections such as toxoplasmosis and cytomegalovirus.
• Asphyxia: When an infant does not receive enough oxygen during the birthing process, this can result in brain damage. This lack of oxygen may be caused by umbilical cord compression, traumatic vaginal or c-section delivery, or a prolapsed umbilical cord.

The child may be permanently disabled with cerebral palsy, increasing the risk of infection and degenerative disorders later in life. In addition, a medical malpractice case involving a disabled child harmed through negligence could result in multi-million-dollar negotiated settlements or jury verdicts.

A physician may be held liable for damages if proven that negligent behavior caused the injury. This situation is especially evident when a woman is not properly informed of the risks associated with being underweight or overweight, taking certain medications during pregnancy, or having an assisted delivery.

Medical Malpractice and Nursing Home Abuse

Most minimal malpractice cases and negligence lawsuits In the United States involve elder home abuse and mistreatment. The nursing facility, Medical Director, Director of Nurses, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and certified nursing aides could all be held legally accountable for medical malpractice when a resident is harmed.

According to The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) statistics, there were roughly 37,000 nursing homes in the United States as of December 31, 2013. However, of these nearly 37,000 facilities, CMS rates about 15 percent as "below average" and "much below average" based on various health inspections conducted by state agencies.

In 2012 alone, nearly 120,000 people residing in nursing homes were estimated to have been injured due to medical malpractice or negligence. In addition, the national average cost of $4,309 per patient was spent treating injured nursing facility residents for various malpractice injuries.

The top three specific types of medical malpractice cases involving nursing homes include:

• Fall injuries (fractures, lacerations, and head trauma)
• Bed Sores (Stage II, III, and IV)
• Infections (C. Diff., respiratory, urinary tract infections, etc.)

Many massive jury verdicts and settlements in recent years have involved some of the following elder care malpractice scenarios:

• A nurse in a skilled nursing facility administered the wrong insulin dose to a patient with diabetes, which resulted in the patient going into a diabetic coma and developing gangrenous toes. The victim remains in a nursing center and has undergone multiple surgeries, including amputating both of her legs.
• A Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) caused a patient to go into cardiac arrest following a surgical procedure. The CRNA failed to appropriately take the patient's vital signs and adjust the ventilator as needed. The patient perished a few days after going into cardiac arrest due to the CRNA's negligence.
• A nurse failed to properly monitor a patient admitted to the emergency room with complaints of chest pains. As a result, the patient was sent to a different hospital for monitoring but not properly assessed by the nurse. As a result, the patient died a few hours later from a heart attack.
• A senior care resident suffered a fracture in her hip after falling out of bed. The fractured hip led to a blood clot that went into the victim's lungs and then into her heart, leading to her death.
• A resident at a nursing facility for terminally ill patients suffered untreated bedsore, which eventually led to death due to sepsis and other complications.
• An eldercare resident with dementia went missing from the facility and was later found dead in a canal. The resident's family filed a wrongful death claim against the nursing facility, alleging that they failed to supervise their patient properly.

In many cases, nursing home residents with dementia cannot voice their pain and discomfort. In addition, they may be unable to communicate their discomfort to nursing facility employees adequately in some cases. Unfortunately, this often leads to delayed medical treatment, which can have fatal consequences.

If your loved one died due to medical negligence in an elder home, you might be entitled to compensation for your injuries and other losses. Fill out the contact form or call a Rockford medical malpractice lawyer at (888) 424-5757 to schedule a free case consultation.

Grading Winnebago County Hospitals

Three hospitals serve Rockford, IL, and its nearby cities. Our law firm has gathered crucial information regarding trends and areas of potential concern. As Winnebago County medical malpractice injury attorneys, we believe that it is essential 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.

Our Rockford medical malpractice lawyers trust 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.

For example, 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 the survival rate. Two-thirds of Rockford Memorial's patients readmitted within thirty days did not survive. In addition, 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 before 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 to prevent 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 11.8 per 1,000. Also, 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 has extremely low birth injury and delivery injuries. However, one of the primary areas of concern for Saint Anthony is its high hip fracture mortality rate.

Patients suffering from hip fractures by this health care provider 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. For example, 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 to prevent blood clots, and 22% of patients released on blood-thinning medications were not provided information about their medication, risk factors, or how to use it safely.

Begin an Investigation to Learn if You are Entitled to Compensation

While doctors never intend to cause their patients harm, they are still required to compensate when their mistakes result in complications or bodily harm. The policies at medical care facilities may also contribute to or be the direct cause of medical negligence. The best way to promote change is to hold those facilities accountable.

Many patients who have never been injured come forward for legal advice. Many of these injured patients can talk to a Rockford medical malpractice lawyer to better understand their rights or are unsure of their chances of success.

Hiring a Rockford Medical Malpractice Lawyer

The north central Illinois medical malpractice injury attorneys of Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC have successfully recovered damages on behalf of thousands of clients. As a result, we can maximize your financial recovery so that you do not need to incur the cost of revisionary treatments, lost wages, or out-of-pocket expenses.

Contact our Rockford, IL medical malpractice lawyers today to arrange a free consultation so that we can review your legal rights and options and evaluate your personal injury case.

Our personal injury law firm has years of extensive experience and can determine whether it is in your best interest to pursue litigation. If we cannot help recover compensation on your behalf, our services will be free of charge.

Call our personal injury lawyers for more information on receiving legal advice, covering medical expenses, attorney profiles, additional office locations, and obtaining a free case evaluation. All confidential or sensitive information you share with a Rockford medical malpractice lawyer from our firm remains private through an attorney-client relationship.

Resources:

• NIH – Medical Negligence
• NCBI – Negligence and Litigation