Wrongful death cases mount against veterans hospital

Pennsylvania residents should be able to seek medical care and know that they can trust those who deliver the care. Sadly, however, the risk of a medical error always exists. Cases of malpractice can sometimes be easily remedied but other times can lead to very serious consequences and even the death of a patient. In the case of a misdiagnosed cancer or some other failure to diagnose a problem, a worsened condition can cause undue pain and challenges for patients and family members.

Such situations can affect both civilians and veterans. Across the nation, more than 100,000 medical malpractice cases in which wrongful death was alleged accounted for roughly $200 million in payouts from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Four of those cases involved staff at the veteran’s hospital in Coatesville, VA. Together, the four claims resulted in $1.4 million being paid to family members of deceased victims.

Two of the Coatesville patients died due to a lack of proper monitoring. These claims accounted for $600,000 of the payouts. Another $495,000 was paid for a case involving inappropriate handling of psychiatric patient and an improper diagnosis was the reason for a $300,000 settlement. A total of 26 veteran’s hospitals around the nation are being investigated for multiple potential offenses.

Our nation’s military veterans deserve good and timely medical care for their service to the country. Any veteran or family member of a veteran that believes an error in care has occurred may choose to talk to an attorney to better understand what constitutes malpractice and how they can get help.

Source: The  Mercury News, “4 medical malpractice suits against Coatesville VA clinic settled for $1M,” Kristina Scala, May 22, 2014