With all the stories about the problems with the Veterans Affairs medical centers providing less than stellar care for veterans, people might wonder when the horror stories are going to stop being the focus of the news. Some Kentucky residents might be wondering if the VA centers in the area are affected by the problems. One family says that the Lexington VA Hospital was responsible for making their father’s quality of life go downhill.
In January of 2011, the man started having pain while urinating and difficulty urinating. After finally being admitted to the VA hospital, the man was diagnosed with prostate cancer. That diagnosis was incorrect, according to his family. They also say that he was denied a second opinion. His daughter says that a band used to signal a do not resuscitate order was placed on his arm but that he didn’t give permission for that.
The man’s children decided that they wanted him to be moved to Jewish Hospital for care. That transfer took 36 hours, but the family says the VA stopped treating the man when the transfer was requested. By the time they got to the new hospital, the man was in critical condition and need a blood transfusion because of internal bleeding.
Doctors at Jewish Hospital diagnosed the man with kidney failure. He went into cardiac arrest. He lived less than a year after being revived. During that time, he was on dialysis three times each week. One of the man’s sons says that proper treatment started early could have saved their father from painful treatments he had to endure at the end of his life.
The family filed a federal tort, which was denied. They are appealing. They want to see the hospital held accountable for the negligent care that they say led to their father’s wrongful death.
Anyone who has lost a family member to hospital negligence has the right to seek compensation. If the hospital is a government entity, this involves filing a federal tort. Understanding how to navigate through the process of seeking compensation can help make the process easier.
Source: WUKY, “Kentucky Family Claims Negligence By Local VA” Karen Czar, Jul. 08, 2014
