You go to the hospital for what seems like a very serious issue. The doctors seem concerned at first, but that concern wanes over the next few hours. You get the sense that some of them may think you are exaggerating your symptoms or something of this nature.
After a while, they declare that you are healthy enough to go home, and you’re discharged. While at home, you suffer serious complications and have to be rushed back to the hospital for an ER visit that is vastly more expensive than anything you’d expected. You may also have serious injuries or even disabilities to consider, all of which could have been avoided if they would have just treated you the first time. What can you do?
Early discharges are a common problem
Some studies have found that this sort of thing happens to people very often, even claiming that it occurs with about 20% of patients. One out of every five people who are in the hospital gets sent home when they really should have stayed for at least observation, and maybe for more extended care. There are many reasons for this, such as a doctor not understanding the severity of the case – as in the hypothetical example above – or because the hospital’s overcrowded.
No matter what happens to you, you can tell that it had a drastic impact on your life and it may continue to have such an impact moving forward. It’s important for you to take the time to look into all of your legal options to seek compensation. Your health situation was made worse through no fault of your own, and the hospital was negligent.