Hospitals have a duty to keep patients safe until they are stable enough to leave. When a patient is sent home too early, the risks can be serious. Premature discharge often leads to serious consequences like worsening health problems and emergency room readmissions. In California, if a hospital or doctor is negligent in releasing a patient before they are ready, it may be considered medical malpractice.

If you or a loved one suffered complications after being sent home too soon, you may have the right to take legal action. A medical malpractice lawyer with The Law Offices of Bruce G. Fagel and Associates can review your case and explain your options during a free consultation. Until then, read on for the information you should know about.

Why Premature Discharges Happen

Hospitals, such as UCLA Health are often busy places, and mistakes can happen when patient care is rushed. Common reasons for early discharge include:

  • Overcrowded hospitals and a shortage of beds
  • Misdiagnosis or failure to fully assess a patient’s condition
  • Poor communication between doctors, nurses, and staff
  • Pressure from insurance companies to shorten hospital stays
  • Lack of proper discharge instructions or follow-up care

When these issues occur, patients may be placed in danger if they are released too early.

What Are the Risks of Being Sent Home Too Soon?

Leaving the hospital before it’s safe can create serious problems. Some of the most common risks include:

  • Worsening symptoms that were not properly treated
  • Infections that develop after leaving the hospital
  • Complications from surgery or recent procedures
  • Missed diagnoses of hidden conditions
  • Emergency readmission for urgent care
  • Permanent injuries or even wrongful death

Vulnerable patients (such as newborns, elderly individuals, and people with chronic illnesses) face even greater risks.

Legal Protections for Patients in California

California law allows patients to bring a malpractice claim when medical providers fail to meet the proper standard of care. Releasing a patient too soon without proper evaluation or instructions can qualify as negligence.

To succeed in a malpractice claim, you generally need to show:

  • The hospital or doctor owed you a duty of care.
  • They failed in that duty by sending you home too early.
  • The early discharge directly caused your injury or made your condition worse.
  • You suffered losses such as medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering.

Most patients in California have one year from the date they discovered the harm (and no more than three years from the act itself) to file a malpractice lawsuit.

What Compensation Can I Recover by Filing a Malpractice Claim?

If your case is successful, you may recover money for both your economic and non-economic damages, such as:

  • Medical costs for follow-up treatment and hospital stays
  • Lost wages and reduced ability to work
  • Pain and suffering
  • Emotional distress and loss of quality of life
  • Wrongful death damages for surviving family members in fatal cases

These damages are meant to help you move forward as best as possible after being harmed by negligent medical care.

Contact a California Medical Malpractice Lawyer for Legal Help

Being discharged from the hospital too early can have devastating effects. If this happened to you or your loved one, you may be entitled to justice and financial recovery. The Law Offices of Dr. Bruce G. Fagel and Associates has over 35 years of experience and has recovered more than $1.4 billion for malpractice clients across California.

Contact us or call us at (800) 541-9376 today for a free consultation and learn how we can help you. Our medical malpractice attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, which means that we only get paid if we win compensation for you.