If you or someone you love are hurt due to medical negligence or other issues in a hospital or clinical setting, you may be in a position to file a medical malpractice case. Normally, people file medical malpractice claims against the provider who made an error, but in some cases, there may be multiple parties to include on the claim.
The interesting fact is that there is almost always more than one person to hold liable for malpractice, because providers usually work in teams with a number of checks and balances. Here are some of the other people and entities you may want to pursue a claim against.
- Hospital staff members
Another group of people who may be at fault for malpractice is the staff at the hospital. Nurses, physicians’ assistants, anesthesiologists and others may be held liable if their actions played a role in your injuries. For instance, if one of the employees realizes that a patient is allergic to one of the medications ordered but delivers it anyway because of the physician’s treatment plan, then they could be held liable for not making an inquiry before giving it to the patient.
- Hospitals
Hospitals are private or public entities that may be held directly liable for negligence. They may also be held vicariously liable, which means that they can be held liable for the negligence of someone they hired. For example, if the hospital didn’t realize that the medical provider had lost their license and allowed them to perform surgery, then it could be sued for its negligence.
- Pharmaceutical companies
Pharmaceutical companies may be liable in some cases of patient injuries, such as if they didn’t warn a medical provider about side effects or reactions that could occur. They may also be liable in cases where medications were poorly manufactured or did not work because of low potency (due to manufacturing errors).
As you can see, there are many people and entities that may be liable for any injuries you suffered. Medical malpractice is serious, so understand your legal rights to make the most of your claim.