Medical Errors & Medication Mistakes at California Pacific Medical Centers

California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) is one of the largest non-profit medical centers in the state of California. It is an affiliate of Sutter Health. There are numerous CPMC campuses located across the San Francisco Bay Area. Multiple campuses means that CPMC doctors and medical professionals are there to serve more than 100 communities throughout Northern California. Some of the main campuses include the Van Ness Campus in the Tenderloin, the Davies Campus in Duboce Triangle and the Mission Bernal Campus. CPMC is one of the largest teaching hospitals in the area and employs a variety of new physicians, nurses and healthcare professionals from around the world.

Unfortunately, teaching hospitals like CPMC can find themselves facing serious lawsuits for medical malpractice injuries. Young residents and interns may make critical errors that could result in serious and life-threatening harm. In fact, half of the country’s teaching hospitals were penalized for medical errors and high rates of infection by Medicare. On that list were three CPMC locations: St. Luke’s Campus Hospital, Davies Campus Hospital and Pacific Campus Hospital.

In 2017 alone, the California Department of Public Health fined the California Pacific Medical Center — St. Luke’s Campus Hospital for a serious medical error. A patient felt dizzy and fell off the bed at the hospital. However, she was not put through hourly neurological checks like the physician prescribed. She later lost her life — even after emergency brain surgery. They also fined the California Pacific Medical Center — Davies Campus Hospital twice after medical professionals failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient by not following established policies and procedures, including one serious medication error.

According to statistics, preventable medication errors impact more than 7 million patients and cost almost $21 billion annually. The FDA estimates that of these patients, 1.3 million suffer injury or harm. From 2000 to 2012, the number of medication errors in hospital and clinic settings more than doubled. Sadly, researchers found that many of these mistakes were entirely preventable.

Medication errors can occur in numerous ways in a hospital setting like CPMC, including:

• Dispensing error
• Transcribing error
• Prescribing error
• Administration error

When a patient receives the wrong medication or the wrong dosage, they can suffer serious injuries and complications. Older adults and young children are at an increased risk for suffering harm after a medication error.

If you or someone you love was injured after a medication error or medical mistake at CPMC, it is important to have an experienced law firm on your side. The attorneys at Corsiglia, McMahon & Allard, L.L.P know how difficult medical malpractice cases can be. Yet, we gladly accept this challenge and work tirelessly to hold negligent physicians, nurses and hospitals accountable for their mistakes and for the pain and suffering they have caused.

When proving medical malpractice, our attorneys will need to establish that the doctor or hospital owed you a duty of care and breached that duty. When performing care, a doctor or hospital must uphold a standard of care. This means having the necessary safety protocols and practices in place to reduce medical errors and medication mistakes. It also means adhering to these protocols at all times. We can examine your medical records, as well as hospital guidelines to determine if your injuries were caused by a deviation in the standard of care.

After a serious medication mistake, medical error or surgical injury, you may find that you are eligible to file a medical malpractice lawsuit against the negligent physician and hospital. Yet, winning a medical malpractice lawsuit against CPMC is not easy. That is because California Pacific Medical Centers have large legal teams and insurers on their side fighting to protect their interests. That is why you need someone on yours from the start.

At Corsiglia, McMahon & Allard, L.L.P, we have extensive experience representing injured patients and their families after a devastating medical injury at CPMC. We know how to go toe-to-toe with large institutions and hospitals and win. Our track record of success speaks for itself and is why so many injured San Francisco patients choose us to represent them after a serious medical injury.

When you go to CPMC, you believe that you are in the best hands. You trust that your doctors and medical professionals are using the utmost care when treating you. Suffering an injury because of a medical error or medication error can be devastating. When this occurs, you need someone on your side to help you pick up the pieces.

At Corsiglia, McMahon & Allard, L.L.P, our San Francisco Bay Area medical malpractice attorneys have the experience and resources needed to tackle difficult medical malpractice cases. Call us at (408) 289-1417 or fill out our confidential contact form for more information. We offer a free consultation and review of your case to better help you during this difficult time.