Patients who end up in the hospital, whether in the emergency department or in a room for care, expect that their medical team will do what’s best for them. While this is what happens in most cases, some issues may occur.
Sometimes, the care they receive while they’re admitted is wonderful. The problem they experience is that they’re discharged too soon. This can stem from a host of reasons, including not having enough beds or staff members and refusal by the insurance company to cover the cost of the hospital stay. Regardless of why the patient was discharged too early, there’s a chance they will suffer harm.
Risks of early discharge
One of the biggest risks of an early discharge is that the patient isn’t actually stable enough to be away from medical supervision. This is especially troublesome when the patient doesn’t have someone responsible for watching for signs that something is amiss.
There’s a chance that patients who are discharged too soon will have to return to the hospital for more care. If their condition worsened during their time away from the hospital, the return visit might involve intense treatment that wouldn’t have been required if they had remained in the hospital.
While it’s not common, it’s possible that a patient who’s discharged too early may die. Fatalities due to being released from medical care too soon are traumatic and likely preventable if the person had continued receiving the care they needed.
Early discharge from the hospital that leads to patient harm is a major issue. If you have injuries or complications related to that discharge, you may opt to pursue a compensation claim. This allows you to seek damages for additional medical costs, missed wages, and other financial damages directly related to the early discharge. Your time to do this is limited by Indiana law, so get started quickly.