When you are a hospital patient, you are operating under the assumption that your physician will provide you with the best possible care. In medical malpractice cases, patients must still pay the initial bill, and they are also forced to pay for corrective treatments. A pending Medicare decision, however, may make that problem nonexistent.
Your Personal Injury lawyer Sacramento CA and health insurance company have for some time been encouraging hospitals and physicians to take more responsibility for medical mistakes and resultant complications. Medicare is taking that philosophy one step further by refusing payment for complications as a result of doctor and hospital error, such as:
- Misdiagnosis of illnesses like heart disease and cancer
- Injuries to mother or child during labor
- Inaccurate medication dosage
- Brain damage as a result of negligence on a doctor or hospital’s part
- Delays in treatment which cause the illness to become more severe
- Air embolisms
- Surgical tools left inside the patient following surgery
- Catheter-resultant UTIs
- Bedsores
- Slip and fall injuries
- Infections after insertion of a vascular catheter
These and other physician errors fall into the ‘never’ category—Medicare refuses to acknowledge them because they should ‘never’ happen, and therefore does not believe they should be forced to pay. The list of exclusions is expected to grow thanks to Medicare and the insurance companies to include:
- Incorrect medical procedures or those done on the wrong part of the body
- Post-operative death in otherwise healthy patients
- Suicides occurring in the hospital
- Death of a low-risk expectant mother
- Using the wrong egg or sperm in an artificial insemination
- Sexual battery, physical assault or kidnapping of patients
The expanded list of exclusions includes other preventable occurrences not mentioned here. Many doctors and hospitals still charge for medical care required as a result of these and other highly preventable outcomes, and most health insurers will be of no help if you decide to contest these charges. Medicare’s actions on this issue can only help the healthcare consumer, and changes in malpractice rules may have a serious impact on your injury claim. Those needing assistance in contesting negligence-related medical bills should consult a Personal Injury Attorney Sacramento CA.
