A recent study has found that one in five Medicare patients has sustained injuries from treatment unrelated to their existing medical condition.

Patients are sometimes given the wrong medication, have allergic reactions to certain medications, or receive treatments that exasperate  their existing medical conditions.

Lead researcher and gerontology program director at Towson University in Maryland, Mary Carter, said the study consisted of data from over 12,500 Medicare beneficiaries between 1998 and 2005, with 19% of them having suffered from at least one adverse medical event.

Yale University Prevention Research Center director and American College of Lifestyle Medicine president Dr. David Katz mentioned that “medical care, while pledged to avoid harm above all, actually imposes quite a bit of it. Medical injury is all too common, and adverse effects of treatment are common, even in the absence of error.”

Nursing home residents should be able to spend the rest of their years relaxing, not worrying about whether they will be harmed by negligent medical personnel. As such, if your loved one is in a nursing home and has been the victim of abuse, legal action can be taken against the negligent party. Contact our Austin attorneys at Hotze Runkle PLLC by dialing (877) 919-0830.

Earlier this year, the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services announced that it would be cutting approximately $1 billion in revenues for audits and investigations.

Although some view this cutback as an appropriate and well-timed reduction of “excessive actions” by “watchdogs” like the OIG and others, others fear that such a cutback and reduction in oversight could lead to an increase in instances of neglect and / or abuse for long-term care facility patients.

At Hotze Runkle PLLC, our attorneys are dedicated to helping victims of nursing home abuse and neglect fight back against such inexcusable mistreatment. If a lack of appropriate oversight has resulted in you or a loved one suffering abuses in an assisted living facility, call our experienced team today at (877) 919-0830 for the compassionate help that you need.