Ellis Hospital, located in Schenectady, New York, is a 438-bed community and teaching healthcare facility that has been serving the Capital Region since 1885. As part of Ellis Medicine, it offers a wide range of services, including emergency care, cardiac care, and cancer treatment, and is known for its commitment to patient-centered care and innovative medical practices.
While Ellis Hospital strives to provide high-quality healthcare, like any medical facility, it is not immune to instances of medical malpractice. Common types of medical errors that can occur in hospitals include surgical mistakes, medication errors, misdiagnosis, birth injuries, and hospital-acquired infections, among others.
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Were You Injured by Medical Malpractice at Ellis Hospital?
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If you believe you or a loved one has been the victim of medical negligence at Ellis Hospital, or any other hospital in New York, taking swift action is critical to protect your health and legal rights. Here are the most important steps to take:
Get immediate medical evaluation. Seek prompt care for any new or worsening symptoms, including from a different provider if you have lost confidence in the original team, so your condition is stabilized and your treatment plan is corrected. Clearly report your symptoms and concerns, but focus on accurate medical information rather than arguments about fault during clinical encounters.
Request your records and test results. Ask Ellis Hospital for complete copies of your medical records, including admission notes, progress notes, orders, test and imaging reports, consent forms, medication records, and discharge summaries. Request copies of monitoring data and raw outputs when relevant, such as vital sign trends, EKG strips, fetal monitoring tracings, operative reports, and anesthesia records.
Document what happened. Write down a timeline of key events, including symptoms, tests ordered, conversations, procedures, medications, and when changes occurred. Include the names and roles of clinicians involved. Preserve any written communications, discharge instructions, prescriptions, or photos of visible injuries or conditions.
Use hospital and state complaint channels. Every New York hospital must have an internal complaint or patient-relations process, and patients have a right to complain without retaliation and to receive a response. Patients or their representatives can file a written complaint about hospital care with the New York State Department of Health's Centralized Hospital Intake Program using the online Facility Complaint Form or by mail.
Consult a New York malpractice attorney. A malpractice attorney can review your records, consult appropriate medical experts, and advise you about deadlines, notice requirements, and whether your facts support a viable claim under New York law. The Porter Law Group offers free, no-obligation consultations to evaluate your case.
Understanding the types of errors that commonly lead to malpractice claims can help you recognize when something may have gone wrong in your care at Ellis Hospital.
Diagnostic failures are a major category of adverse events and malpractice claims. These include not ordering appropriate tests, misinterpreting results, or failing to follow up on abnormal findings. Recent analyses show that roughly two-thirds of diagnostic errors are linked to vulnerabilities in the testing process, including ordering, processing, reporting, or acting on results, not just incorrect clinical hypotheses.
Surgical complications and surgical site infections remain among the most frequent serious hospital adverse events. Surgical site infections alone account for about 20% of healthcare-associated infections and significantly increase morbidity, mortality, and length of stay. Examples of surgical errors include wrong-site procedures, retained instruments, technical errors, inadequate hemostasis, or failure to recognize and treat post-operative complications.
Medication errors are a leading type of preventable adverse event in hospitalized patients. These include administering the wrong drug, wrong dose, wrong route, giving medication to the wrong patient, and failures to account for allergies or drug interactions. Anesthesia-related errors and failures in monitoring during sedation or surgery, such as delayed delivery of anesthesia, improper intubation, or failure to respond to vital-sign changes, are also recognized sources of serious harm.
Healthcare-associated infections such as bloodstream infections, surgical site infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, C. difficile infections, and ventilator-associated events are tracked as key patient-safety indicators. Evidence-based infection-prevention measures, including hand hygiene, environmental cleaning, device-care bundles, and antibiotic stewardship, can prevent a substantial portion of these infections. Failures to implement or follow these measures can be central to negligence analysis.
Patient-safety research identifies poor monitoring and communication failures as common contributors to preventable harm. Examples include not acting on abnormal vitals, inadequate handoffs between care teams, or lack of follow-up on test results. These issues can lead to delayed recognition of sepsis, cardiopulmonary deterioration, stroke, or other conditions that become far more serious when early warning signs are missed.
Successfully pursuing a medical malpractice claim against Ellis Hospital requires understanding what must be proven and gathering comprehensive documentation.
Duty and provider-patient relationship. A hospital malpractice case usually begins by showing that you were a patient of the hospital or its staff, establishing a professional duty of care.
Departure from accepted standards of care. You must show that the hospital, through physicians, nurses, or systems, failed to act as reasonably careful, similarly situated professionals or institutions would have acted under like circumstances. In New York, this generally requires expert testimony explaining the applicable standard of care and how specific acts or omissions departed from that standard.
Causation. It is not enough that a mistake occurred. You must connect the departure from standard care to the injury, showing that the negligent act or omission was a proximate cause of the harm.
Damages. Finally, you must prove actual damages, which can include additional medical treatment, lost income, disability, pain and suffering, or wrongful-death losses.
Clinical documentation. Obtain complete medical records from Ellis Hospital and any related providers, including histories and physicals, progress notes, orders, nursing notes, consultations, operative and procedure reports, anesthesia records, monitoring strips and flowsheets, medication administration records, lab and imaging results, and discharge summaries.
Administrative and safety-related records. Request consent forms, advance directives, incident reports (where obtainable through litigation), and any hospital policies or protocols relevant to diagnosis, surgery, medication administration, infection prevention, and monitoring.
External corroboration. Gather records from subsequent treating providers that document what went wrong, such as a later diagnosis, corrective surgery, or treatment of a hospital-acquired infection. Any expert reviews that compare what happened to accepted standards of care are also valuable.
Complaint and oversight materials. Keep copies of any complaints submitted to the hospital or to the New York State Department of Health, as well as any written responses. These can help document timelines and the hospital's own account of the events.
Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare provider's negligence results in injury or harm to a patient. This can happen due to various reasons, such as misdiagnosis, surgical errors, or failure to provide appropriate treatment. At Ellis Hospital, as with any medical facility, patients trust their healthcare providers to deliver competent care. When this trust is broken due to negligence, it can lead to serious consequences for the patient and their family.
Surgical errors are a significant concern in medical malpractice cases. These can include operating on the wrong body part, leaving surgical instruments inside the patient, or performing unnecessary procedures. At Ellis Hospital, where complex surgeries are routinely performed, such errors can have life-altering consequences for patients. If you or a loved one has experienced a surgical error at Ellis Hospital, it's essential to seek legal advice to understand your rights and options.
The birth of a child should be a joyous occasion, but when medical negligence occurs during pregnancy, labor, or delivery, it can result in devastating birth injuries. These injuries can range from minor bruising to severe conditions like cerebral palsy or Erb's palsy. If your child has suffered a birth injury at Ellis Hospital, the Porter Law Group can help you seek justice and compensation. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation case evaluation.
Timely and accurate cancer diagnosis is crucial for effective treatment and improved patient outcomes. Unfortunately, errors in cancer diagnosis can occur, leading to delayed treatment and potentially devastating consequences. At Ellis Hospital, as with any healthcare facility, various types of cancer may be misdiagnosed or diagnosed late, including prostate, breast, lung, colorectal, cervical, endometrial, and ovarian cancer. View the results we've achieved for previous clients in similar cases.
Cancer misdiagnosis occurs when a healthcare provider incorrectly identifies a patient's condition as cancer when it is not, or fails to recognize cancer when it is present. This can lead to unnecessary treatments or delayed care, both of which can have serious consequences for the patient's health and well-being.
A late cancer diagnosis happens when a healthcare provider fails to identify cancer in a timely manner, despite the presence of symptoms or risk factors. This delay can result in the cancer progressing to a more advanced stage, potentially reducing treatment options and worsening the patient's prognosis.
A missed cancer diagnosis occurs when a healthcare provider fails to detect cancer altogether, despite the presence of symptoms or test results indicating its existence. This can lead to the cancer spreading undetected, potentially resulting in more aggressive treatments or a reduced chance of survival.
Anesthesia errors can have severe consequences, ranging from awareness during surgery to brain damage or even death. These errors can occur due to improper dosage, failure to monitor the patient, or adverse reactions to anesthesia. If you or a loved one has suffered from an anesthesia error at Ellis Hospital, it's crucial to seek legal representation to protect your rights and pursue compensation for your injuries.
Hospital-acquired infections, also known as nosocomial infections, are infections that patients contract while receiving treatment for another condition in a healthcare facility. These infections can be particularly dangerous, as patients may already have weakened immune systems. Common hospital-acquired infections include MRSA, C. diff, and surgical site infections. If you've contracted a hospital-acquired infection at Ellis Hospital due to negligence, you may be entitled to compensation.
In New York State, the statute of limitations for medical malpractice claims is generally 2.5 years from the date of the alleged malpractice or from the end of continuous treatment by the party you plan to sue. However, there are exceptions to this rule, such as in cases involving foreign objects left in the body or when the victim is a minor. It's crucial to consult with an experienced medical malpractice attorney as soon as possible to ensure your claim is filed within the appropriate timeframe.
If you've been a victim of medical malpractice at Ellis Hospital, you may be entitled to various types of compensation, including:
In New York State, a Certificate of Merit is required to file a medical malpractice claim. This document, signed by the plaintiff's attorney, states that the attorney has consulted with a qualified medical expert who believes there is a reasonable basis for the lawsuit. The Certificate of Merit helps prevent frivolous lawsuits and ensures that claims have merit before proceeding.
Our skilled attorneys collaborate with certified medical specialists who can analyze your health records and test outcomes, pinpoint potential malpractice events, and issue the necessary certificate of merit. When needed, these experts can also testify in court. We're committed to securing the best possible compensation for you and your family's injuries and losses.
Have You Experienced Medical Malpractice at Ellis Hospital?
Speak with our experienced attorneys today to understand your rights and potential for compensation.
At the Porter Law Group, we have extensive experience representing medical malpractice victims throughout New York State. Our team of skilled attorneys understands the complexities of medical malpractice cases and is committed to fighting for the rights of our clients. We work tirelessly to ensure that victims of medical negligence receive the compensation they deserve, allowing them to focus on their recovery and moving forward with their lives.
The Porter Law Group is dedicated to providing compassionate and effective legal representation to victims of medical malpractice. We offer free, no-obligation consultations to discuss your case and explain your legal options. Our team works on a contingency fee basis, meaning you don't pay unless we win your case. We'll guide you through every step of the legal process, from gathering evidence to negotiating with insurance companies and, if necessary, representing you in court.
If you or a loved one has been a victim of medical malpractice at Ellis Hospital or any other healthcare facility in New York State, don't hesitate to reach out to the Porter Law Group. Our experienced attorneys are here to help you seek justice and fair compensation for your injuries. Call our toll-free number at 833-PORTER9 or email info@porterlawteam.com to schedule your free consultation today. Let us fight for your rights while you focus on your recovery.
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