Physician-Owned Hospitals Providing Faulty Medical Care

Brooks Schuelke

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Today's Washington Post reports that many of the nation's physician-owned hospitals were performing faulty medical care. The article reports on a Department of Health and Human Services study set to be released today. Among other things, the study found:

55% of the 109 physician-owned hospitals reviewed had emergency "departments" - the majority of those had only one bed

Fewer than 1/3 of the hospitals had physicians on site at all times, and 34% relied on dialing 911 to get emergency medical assistance for patients in trouble

7% of the hospitals failed to meet Medicare requirements that a registered nurse be on duty at all times and that at least one physician be on call if none are in the hospital

22% failed to have written policies how emergency cases should be treated and evaluated when they arise

Not all hospitals are equal. Making sure that the hospital or emergency room you visit could be an important step in reducing the risk that you're a victim of medical malpractice.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Medical Malpractice and Negligent Care.