Private equity firms have bought a substantial number of medical facilities in Illinois and throughout the United States over the past decade. At the end of the day, the investment companies focus on one primary goal in these circumstances: making a profit. While they often claim to have a positive influence, their business models can have the opposite impact in reality.
One of the first things these firms may try to do is reduce staffing, as fewer employees can make operations cheaper in the short term. However, those cuts can have serious consequences for patient care and could constitute medical malpractice in some cases.
Why Does Private Equity Target the Healthcare Industry?
Hospitals can bring in substantial profits when costs are lowered. Private equity groups often buy a medical facility using borrowed money, then look for ways to boost revenue before selling it later for more than they paid.
To achieve that, they might take steps like:
- Merging departments
- Removing administrative positions
- Replacing full-time employees with contractors
- Cutting overtime
- Limiting shift coverage
- Reducing training and supervision
While these moves may improve a hospital’s financial numbers, they can leave doctors and nurses overworked and patients without enough attention.
How Staffing Cuts Can Lead to Medical Malpractice
Hospitals and healthcare providers in Illinois must give patients a reasonable standard of care. When a facility is short-staffed and that shortage causes harm, it could lead to a valid medical negligence claim.
For example, if a nurse misses a change in a patient’s condition because they’re covering too many patients, that oversight could be considered negligence. The same applies when emergency rooms don’t have enough trained staff to respond in time.
Common errors linked to understaffing include:
- Delayed diagnoses
- Medication errors
- Poor post-surgery monitoring
- Slow emergency response times
- Preventable infections
Mistakes like these and others frequently happen when hospitals push employees to do more with less.
Liability for Medical Negligence in Illinois
Patients harmed by poor care can file a medical malpractice lawsuit under Illinois law (735 ILCS 5/2-622). These claims can be brought against both individual providers and the hospital itself.
Hospitals can be held directly responsible for things like improper training procedures. They can also be held vicariously liable for the actions of their staff. If private equity owners are involved in decisions that led to unsafe staffing levels, they may also share liability in certain cases.
What Are Some Warning Signs of a Cost-Cutting Culture?
Patients might not always immediately be aware that their hospital has been bought by a private equity firm, but there are some clues that cost-cutting has gone too far.
Warning signs may include:
- Longer wait times for nurses and doctors
- Less communication between staff members
- Frequent turnover among medical employees
- Errors in scheduling and patient charts
These problems may seem small at first, but they can lead to serious harm if they continue unchecked.
Contact the Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys for Help Today
If you believe that understaffing caused a medical error, you may have the right to take legal action. That’s where Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys can help. Our Chicago medical malpractice attorneys can review your medical records and work to determine whether cost-cutting played a role in your injuries from there.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation to learn about your legal rights and options. We work on a contingency fee basis, so you only pay if we win.
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Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys – Chicago Office
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