Health Law

Illinois Medical Malpractice at Veterans Hospital

What a scathing report.  9 deaths caused by treatment at a VA hospital in Illinois.  What makes VA hospital malpractice claims interesting is that they are often governed by a federal statute (The Federal Tort Claims Act).  To pursue a medical malpractice case under that act involves a different procedure and the claim is filed in Federal Court.

Substandard care at the Marion VA Medical Center left nine patients dead and 34 others seriously injured during a two-year period ending last September, investigators reported Monday.

Ten of the 34 injured patients later died, but investigators were unable to determine if the substandard care they received at the Downstate medical facility was the cause.

A report by the medical inspector of the Veterans Health Administration, released Monday, detailed a long list of serious problems at the hospital, including a surgical program "in disarray" and "fragmented and inconsistent" administrative oversight.

Source:  Chicago Tribune.com

Full post as published by Cerebral Palsy Law Blog on January 29, 2008 (boomark / email).