New York Hospital Has More Than 100 Medical Malpractice Cases Pending In Court

Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center has more than 100 open lawsuits against it, according the New York Daily News. Brookdale is in Brooklyn, New York. The patients or the living relatives have filed these pending lawsuits. Brookdale is not a large hospital, with only 330-360 beds. Yet, many other hospitals in the region that have twice as many beds have less lawsuits pending against them than Brookdale currently does.

As I wrote a few days ago, the cost of medical malpractice suits is not the driving force behind some of the issues in health care and Brookdale is a prime example of the patient safety issues I was discussing. Brookdale has close to one lawsuit for every three beds, that is an extremely high ratio and number of pending lawsuits.. Plus, many agree that for every lawsuit filed against a hospital or a doctor there are several other patients who were mistreated but chose not file a lawsuit.

With these numbers it is clear that there is something going on at this hospital. The lawsuits depending against Brookdale are all over the map, ranging from simple medical mistake like misreading a chart or complex issue relating to care.

For example, a patient alleges a member for the hospital staff gave them a penicillin shot even though their medical bracelet stated a penicillin allergy. Another lawsuit pending is for a serious birth injury case, where the plaintiff alleges the hospital is responsible for an infant’s permanent brain damage and nervous system. Additionally, there is a lawsuit pending where the plaintiff alleges that the hospital mishandled a diabetic’s infection leading to the amputation of the patient’s toes.

Most hospitals, as I noted above, do not have Brookdale’s extremely high number of open malpractice case pending. However, since there are hospitals that do not have good reputations, people must do their research before going to a hospital. I know that it not always possible to do this research especially in emergency situations, but if you are in a position to do research about a hospital it is important that you do.

But what do you think? I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment or I also welcome your phone call on my toll-free cell at 1-866-889-6882 or you can drop me an e-mail at jfisher@fishermalpracticelaw.com . You are always welcome to request my FREE book, The Seven Deadly Mistakes of Malpractice Victims, at the home page of my website at www.protectingpatientrights.com.