LAWSUITS IMPROVE NURSING HOME CARE

LAWSUITS IMPROVE NURSING HOME CARE

LAWSUITS IMPROVE NURSING HOME CARE 150 150 Dan Frith

Okay, you first reaction is sure…the title is just more “spin” by a plaintiff’s medical malpractice and nursing home abuse lawyer. You are half right! I am a trial lawyer who represents the victims of medical malpractice and nursing home abuse and neglect…but the title to today’s blog comes from a nurse who works for nursing homes!

Tamara L. Hill, RN, lives in Jackson, Tennessee. As a former nursing-home nurse working in administration, there were multiple instances in which she had to beg corporate for things needed to provide basic patient care … soap, shampoo, gloves, bandages, dressings, towels, sheets, equipment and, of course, the staff to actually provide the care. She was often told that it wasn’t in the budget.

Sometimes the ONLY way she could get what was needed for the residents was to say “OK, but if I can’t get what I need for my staff to take care of them, then you are just buying a lawsuit.” Then, suddenly, someone “found” money in the budget to get the things the patient needed. If there were caps, then it would become a cost-benefit risk analysis, weighing a known cost (about 75 percent of the cap) and the savings (benefit) by not providing the staff, supplies and care vs. the risk that someone would take the lawsuit with caps in place.

Read Ms. Hill’s article published in The Tennessean here.

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About the author

Dan Frith

Dan Frith has over 25 years of experience representing individuals and families in cases of medical malpractice throughout Virginia. He has been named "Best Medical Malpractice Attorney" by Roanoker Magazine and is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. To speak with Dan, contact him by email at dfrith@frithlawfirm.com.

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