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What Happens When Surgery Centers are Negligent?

When patients need an outpatient surgical procedure, many are choosing to go to surgery centers instead of hospitals. Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are also known as same-day surgery centers, surgicenters, or outpatient surgery centers. These facilities allow patients to save money by not being hospitalized. ASCs can handle many types of surgeries and procedures, such as cataract surgery, endoscopy and colonoscopy, biopsy, cosmetic surgery, and procedures involving knees, shoulders, and even the spine.

Patients at surgery centers not only undergo procedures, but they also receive diagnostic services and pain management. While these centers are convenient and more affordable than traditional hospital settings, patients still run the risk of suffering complications or unexpected injuries due to surgical mistakes.

Standards of Care in Surgical Centers

Different organizations provide accreditation for surgery centers. To receive accreditation, a center must meet certain standards for medical care provided, internal policies, record-keeping, equipment, and more. The centers must undergo regular audits to keep their accreditation. That said, there are many very significant differences between the safety standards for surgery centers and those applicable to hospitals.

Despite regulatory audits that aim to keep patients safe, doctors, nurses, and staff members at surgery centers can and do make mistakes that cause harm to patients. Such mistakes can happen before, during, or after surgery. Examples of such mistakes include:

● Failing to review a patient’s medical history

● Surgery on the wrong patient

● Surgery on the wrong body part

● Anesthesia errors

● Improper sterilization of the surgical room or equipment

● Inadequate response to emergency situations

● Inadequate postoperative monitoring and care

When any of the above mistakes happen, patients can suffer serious and even life-threatening complications. Patients can require additional medical treatment they would not have otherwise needed, and they may even require subsequent surgeries to correct the problem.

One very important difference between surgery centers and hospitals is the ability of each type of entity to respond to emergency situations. Surgery centers simply do not have the same emergency resources, equipment, and personnel as hospitals. For this reason, ASCs often have to call 911 for patients who face life-threatening complications, so that the patients can be transported by ambulance to a hospital. This extra time can often be the difference between life or death for surgical patients.

When a patient agrees to have a procedure at a surgery center, that patient should be able to trust that the facility is safe enough to prevent harm. When someone suffers injuries due to negligence at an ASC, the facility should be held fully accountable for all of the losses experienced by patients and their families.

Contact a Cleveland Medical Malpractice Attorney to Discuss a Possible Claim

Surgical centers owe patients a specific standard of care, and when doctors or staff fail to meet that standard, the facility should be held accountable. The Eisen Law Firm takes on tough cases involving surgical injuries against all types of medical facilities. Call 216-687-0900 or contact us online to get started with your free case evaluation today.