Hospital operator pays out millions for malpractice

NYC Health + Hospitals, a public benefit corporation that operates several clinics and public hospitals in New York City, paid out $124 million to plaintiffs in medical malpractice complaints in 2015. The total amount that it paid was a drop from the $133 million that it paid to injured patients in 2014. However, medical malpractice claims against the organization rose from 536 to 552 in 2015.

The largest single payout that H + H made in 2015 went to an autistic woman who was left a quadriplegic after doctors at Kings County Hospital failed to diagnose her severe spinal injury. The 27-year-old woman was awarded $9 million after her father filed a medical malpractice complaint on her behalf. According to the complaint, the woman fell down the stairs at her house and then visited the Kings County Hospital emergency room. Doctors kept her at the hospital for just five hours but failed to diagnose her spinal injury.

Another large payout that was made in 2015 went to the family of a brain-injured infant born at Coney Island Hospital. The family was awarded $5 million after alleging that doctors at the hospital failed to diagnose the baby's condition. H + H was also ordered to pay $5 million to the family of a woman who was left in a vegetative state after undergoing a spinal tap that was allegedly 'unnecessary and negligent."

There are many things that can go wrong when doctors and other hospital staff fail to provide the proper standard of care. Patients who are injured as a result of medical professional negligence are often left with permanent disabilities that can cause a life-long financial and emotional burden for their families. Legal assistance may be advisable when seeking compensation for these losses.