Sommers Schwartz, P.C.

Michigan Personal Injury & Employment Lawyers

  • FREE CONSULTATION
  • 800.783.0989
    248.355.0300 (LOCAL)
  • Email Us
  • About
    • Overview
    • Client Testimonials
    • Attorney Referrals
    • Careers
  • Attorneys
  • Practice Areas
    • Medical Malpractice
    • Birth Injury
    • Personal Injury
    • Class Action
    • Employment
    • Commercial Law & Intellectual Property
  • Accomplishments
    • Representative Cases
    • Verdicts & Settlements
  • Resources
    • Firm News
    • Videos
  • Contact
  • Blog
    • Birth Injury
    • Class Action
    • Commercial Law & Intellectual Property
    • Employment
    • Firm News
    • Medical Malpractice
    • Personal Injury

New Hospital Rules Seek to Reduce Disturbingly High U.S. Maternal Death Rates

September 27, 2019 by Richard L. Groffsky

maternal_death_rates

For anyone who still believes that healthcare in the U.S. is the best in the world, the nation’s ranking of 65th among industrialized nations for maternal mortality is shocking. As we wrote about earlier this year, American mothers face unacceptably high rates of complications and death during and after labor and delivery, with one recent report revealing that about one in every eight American hospitals had a rate of potentially fatal deliveries that were at least twice as high as the average of 1.5 percent.

CALL US
1.800.783.0989
Free
Consultation

Thirteen New Treatment Standards

In response to this crisis in maternal care, the nation’s largest hospital accreditation organization, the Joint Commission, recently released a new set of safety standards for hospitals designed to reduce some of the most common causes of maternal death.

Specifically, the 13 new requirements address the prevention and treatment of postpartum hemorrhage, severe hypertension, and preeclampsia. Failure to treat preeclampsia can lead to kidney, liver, or brain damage and leave the mother vulnerable to eclampsia, which can cause seizures, coma, and death.

Hospitals that wish to retain their accreditation status need to adopt the new requirements by July 2020. The steps hospitals need to take and protocols they need to have in place include:

  • Developing written evidence-based procedures to identify and treat the aforementioned conditions.
  • Stocking easily-accessed hemorrhage supply kits.
  • Providing role-specific education at least every two years to all staff and providers who treat pregnant/postpartum patients.
  • Conducting response procedure drills at least annually.
  • Establishing procedures for how staff should measure severely elevated blood pressure and when mothers should be transferred to another, more specialized facility.
  • Educating patients on signs and symptoms that warrant care during hospitalization and after discharge.

Failure to Properly Identify and Treat Preeclampsia Can Constitute Medical Malpractice

Hopefully, these new standards will save the lives of mothers who would otherwise be at risk due to these complications. But while certain events and conditions during labor and delivery may be unavoidable, mistakes in the identification and treatment of these issues can and should be avoided.

There are several warning signs of preeclampsia, so the condition should be detected as long as hospital staff regularly monitor and test the mother’s blood pressure throughout her pregnancy. Along with other commonly performed diagnostics such as urinalysis, blood tests, and ultrasounds, regular blood pressure monitoring should alert physicians of the risk of preeclampsia and lead them to begin a course of treatment to minimize the dangers to both mother and child.

Speak With a Michigan Labor and Delivery Malpractice Lawyer Today

There are many other reasons a mother may suffer injury or die during labor and delivery. Some arise from medical errors, while others occur because doctors and delivery room personnel fail to follow the appropriate standards of care and fail to timely identify and properly address an existing problem.

When new mothers needlessly suffer or pass away because doctors and other health care professionals negligently fail to follow the proper standards of care, the medical malpractice attorneys at Sommers Schwartz stand ready to hold them accountable.

We work closely with mothers and their families to obtain the maximum amount of compensation available for injuries and losses caused by all forms of medical negligence, including labor and delivery errors. Our seasoned team of lawyers, nurses, and experts will investigate your claim and determine the course of action to obtain the best possible outcome.

Please contact Sommers Schwartz today for a free consultation to review your case.

Share on LinkedIn Share
Share on TwitterTweet
Share on Facebook Share
0

Categories: Birth Injury

Practice Areas: Michigan Birth Injury Attorney

About Richard L. Groffsky

Richard Groffsky focuses his practice on medical malpractice and personal injury litigation, and has represented victims of devastating brain injuries and birth injuries in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, South Carolina, and Georgia in significant brain injury and birth injury cases.
View all posts by Richard L. Groffsky →

Recent Posts

  • Health Officials Investigating Detroit-Area Hospital Over Allegations That Newborn Contracted Tuberculosis Within Hours After His Birth
  • School Districts Strike Back Against JUUL for Hooking Teens on Vaping
  • DBusiness Honors Five Sommers Schwartz Attorneys on the 2020 List of “Top Lawyers”

Categories

  • Birth Injury (27)
  • Case Alerts (1)
  • Class Action (328)
  • Commercial Law & Intellectual Property (41)
  • Defective Devices and Dangerous Drugs (1)
  • Employment (355)
  • Firm News (47)
  • Medical Malpractice (164)
  • Personal Injury (140)
  • Railroaders (10)

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Search

Archived By Month

  • November 2019 (5)
  • October 2019 (2)
  • September 2019 (5)
  • August 2019 (3)
  • June 2019 (2)
  • May 2019 (5)
  • April 2019 (6)
  • March 2019 (6)
  • February 2019 (3)
  • January 2019 (2)
  • December 2018 (6)
  • November 2018 (4)
  • October 2018 (3)
  • September 2018 (14)
  • August 2018 (10)
  • July 2018 (2)
  • June 2018 (6)
  • May 2018 (15)
  • April 2018 (11)
  • March 2018 (8)
  • February 2018 (12)
  • January 2018 (5)
  • December 2017 (5)
  • November 2017 (20)
  • October 2017 (19)
  • September 2017 (10)
  • August 2017 (1)
  • July 2017 (9)
  • June 2017 (7)
  • May 2017 (7)
  • April 2017 (8)
  • March 2017 (15)
  • February 2017 (13)
  • January 2017 (11)
  • December 2016 (10)
  • November 2016 (7)
  • October 2016 (8)
  • September 2016 (10)
  • August 2016 (12)
  • July 2016 (8)
  • June 2016 (9)
  • May 2016 (15)
  • April 2016 (18)
  • March 2016 (17)
  • February 2016 (13)
  • January 2016 (15)
  • December 2015 (11)
  • November 2015 (13)
  • October 2015 (17)
  • September 2015 (11)
  • August 2015 (15)
  • July 2015 (17)
  • June 2015 (16)
  • May 2015 (8)
  • April 2015 (5)
  • March 2015 (12)
  • February 2015 (22)
  • January 2015 (13)
  • December 2014 (6)
  • November 2014 (5)
  • October 2014 (15)
  • September 2014 (7)
  • August 2014 (8)
  • July 2014 (10)
  • June 2014 (9)
  • May 2014 (12)
  • April 2014 (5)
  • March 2014 (6)
  • February 2014 (10)
  • January 2014 (11)
  • December 2013 (10)
  • November 2013 (8)
  • October 2013 (13)
  • September 2013 (9)
  • August 2013 (14)
  • July 2013 (8)
  • May 2013 (1)
  • April 2013 (1)
  • March 2013 (1)
  • January 2013 (2)
  • December 2012 (2)
  • November 2012 (2)
  • September 2012 (2)
  • July 2012 (6)
  • June 2012 (1)
  • April 2012 (1)
  • March 2012 (4)
  • February 2012 (3)
  • January 2012 (7)
  • December 2011 (1)
  • November 2011 (1)
  • December 2010 (1)
  • November 2010 (1)
 
1 Towne Square, #1700, Southfield, MI 48076    Directions →    Phone: 248.355.0300
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn


The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation.
This information on this website is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing of this information does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.

© 2019 Sommers Schwartz, P.C.. All Rights Reserved. Privacy/Legal | Sitemap