$200,000 is the Average Settlement for Assisted Living Facilities in Virginia
This report backs up what many long term care lawyers have been saying for years, the drive for profits leads to worse care for patients. The largest cost in operating an assisted living facility is staff. Naturally, the fewer staff members caring for patients leads to lower costs and increased profits. Of course, it also leads to more injuries and poorer care.
According the report, the most frequent injuries are fractures and death accounting for 48% of the claims. Presumably most of the fractures are due to patients falling which can also be tied to insufficient staff. The report found that 37% of claims involving patient falls resulted in death.
One of the most concerning facts in the report was that in cases involving medication errors, over 65% of the patients died. Medication errors are almost always preventable. Examples include giving a patient the wrong medication or giving the patient the wrong dose of a medication. These are human errors, but they are preventable.
If you are curious as to where Virginia sits in terms of paid claims, we are right in the middle. Virginia is considered a moderate risk state by insurance standards.
Please click here if you would like more information about the legal rights of victims of malpractice at assisted living facilities and nursing home.
