Memphis Medical Malpractice Lawyers Advocating for Clients Injured from Hospital-Acquired Infections

Protecting the rights of those injured by medical errors throughout Tennessee

You go to the hospital for surgery or to receive treatment for a disease. Hospitals are supposed to be clean and sanitary, so the last thing you expect is to contract an illness just from being in the hospital. Hospital-acquired infections or healthcare associated infections (HAIs) are a significant threat to patient safety, but they are also preventable.

At the law firm of Greer Injury Lawyers, PLLC, we are here to protect our clients' right to recover compensation when they have suffered an injury or lost a loved one because of a hospital-acquired infection. Call us today to schedule a free consultation with an attorney who understands the complexities of holding the medical provider accountable for preventable patient harm.

What is a hospital acquired infection?

For an illness to be considered a hospital-acquired infection it must have occurred:

• Within 48 hours of admission to the hospital
• Up to three days after discharge from hospital
• Up to 30 days after an operation
• In a healthcare setting where the person was admitted for a reason other than the infection

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “in hospitals alone, 1 in 31 hospitalized patients have at least 1 HAI at any given time, with more than 680,000 infections and billions of dollars in excess health care costs related to HAIs across the United States every year.”

Examples of nosocomial hospital acquired infections

How Memphis area hospitals fare when it comes to HAIs

The LeapFrog Hospital Safety Grades are issued annually by the non-profit Leapfrog organization. Here is how our local hospitals fared:

Methodist North Hospital – Safety Grade: A

Methodist North scored above average when it comes to protecting patients from infections such as C. difficile, bloodstream infections, and sepsis; and scored average when it comes to preventing MRSA, urinary tract infections (UTIs), and surgical site infections.

Methodist University Hospital – Safety Grade: A

Methodist University scored above average when it comes to protecting patients from infections such as MRSA, C. difficile, UTIs, and sepsis; and scored average when it comes to preventing bloodstream and surgical site infections.

Methodist South Hospital – Safety Grade: B

Methodist South scored above average when it comes to protecting patients from infections such as C. difficile, UTIs, bloodstream infections, and sepsis; and scored below average when it comes to MRSA. No information was available about surgical site infections.

Regional One Health – Safety Grade: B

Regional One Health scored above average when it comes to protecting patients from infections such as C. difficile, UTIs, surgical site infections, and sepsis; average for bloodstream infections; and below average when it comes to MRSA.

Baptist Memorial Hospital of Memphis – Safety Score: C

Baptist Memorial scored average when it comes to protecting patients from infections such as MRSA, C. difficile, UTIs, and bloodstream infections; and below average for surgical site infections and sepsis.

Saint Francis Hospital – Safety Score: C

Saint Francis Hospital – Memphis scores above average when it comes to protecting patients from bloodstream infections and UTIs; average for MRSA, C. difficile, and sepsis; and below average for surgical site infections.