When you need non-emergency medical treatment, shop around for the right physician and hospital to provide you with the care you need, rather than simply going to the nearest hospital. By doing your research, you could find that the hospital closest to you is not the ideal place to receive the treatment you need. It might not have adequately trained staff to work with patients with your condition, it might have outdated equipment, or it might have a record of malpractice claims. Hospitals can vary significantly when it comes to patient safety and care, which is why you should choose your hospital and physician carefully.

What Makes a Hospital Safe?

Always check a hospital’s ratings before you choose to receive treatment there. These ratings can give you important information about how the hospital prevents infections, how it communicates with patients, its patients’ re-admittance rates, and how it scores in comparison to other hospitals. Once you have evaluated all of the potential hospitals you might use for your treatment, consider the following to make your final determination:

• Is the hospital accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations?

• Is it covered by your health insurance plan?

• Does the hospital have a successful record treating your condition?

• Does your doctor have privileges there?

Look for Statistics About your Specific Condition and the Treatment you Need

Statistics, which can be found in hospitals’ ratings as discussed above, can tell you everything you need to know about a hospital. Look at its re-admittance rate. Look at how its rating has changed over the years – if there were issues at the hospital that caused it to have a low rating in the past, did it work to correct those issues? What is the percentage of patients who suffer infections? If you cannot find statistics online, contact the hospital to see if it will provide the information you need.

Consider the Malpractice Records of the Staff at Each Hospital

If your doctor does not have privileges at a specific hospital, you will be in the care of another physician. This is not necessarily a cause for concern, but it should prompt you to research your prospective new doctor’s medical malpractice record. If you will work with more than one professional during your stay and follow-up, research each professional’s malpractice record as well as the malpractice record for the facility itself. You can do this by accessing the Illinois Medical Licensing Board and looking up each professional’s record in its database.

Work with an Experienced Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyer

If you are suffering from a worsened condition because of a health care provider’s negligence, consider working with an experienced Chicago medical malpractice lawyer to pursue compensation for your damages. Our team at Baizer Kolar, P.C. is here to help injured patients like you seek the compensation they need for their medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses associated with their malpractice injuries. Contact our firm today to set up your initial legal consultation with us.