It is fair to say that most residents of Pennsylvania do not want to have to seek medical assistance. When it becomes a necessity it is important to many that they receive the best possible care. Understanding the desire for individuals to receive medical treatment at facilities deemed to be safe, there are groups throughout the nation that conduct studies and issue reports on the safety of hospitals. Unfortunately the ratings issued by these watchdogs may not provide a complete picture of how safe a hospital truly is.

Take for instance the site of one of the recent hepatitis C outbreaks, Exeter Hospital. Leapfrog Group, a watchdog group focused on hospital safety, provided the hospital the rating of an A. This is despite the fact that the information used to reach that conclusion was collected during the period of time when the technician accused of spreading the disease, was employed by the hospital. Readers may remember that he has been accused of infecting 32 people who were patients at the hospital.

Information used to determine the rating regarded what the hospital was doing to reduce accidents, errors and injuries. The other focus was on issues surrounding operations and hospital stays. This information was publicly available. Data regarding the hepatitis C infection, as is the case with all hospital-acquired infections, is not currently made public.

Despite taking steps to protect oneself during a hospital stay, there are still times that an injury that may be construed as medical malpractice could occur. In these instances it may be prudent to explore filing a medical malpractice lawsuit.

Source: Seacoast online, "Watchdog gives exeter hospital an 'A'," May 14, 2013