Hospitals try to explain or minimize medical errors in Chicago, IL, by reclassifying the error as a known risk, reducing individual liability by terming it as a system failure, or transferring liability to the patient. They may also blame the patient’s pre-existing conditions or conceal crucial information in complex medical jargon.
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If you suspect that a hospital is explaining or minimizing a medical error, you should document every detail regarding your treatment and get a second opinion from another medical provider. You should also consult a medical malpractice lawyer with a track record of helping medical malpractice victims pursue their rightful compensation. Your lawyer will examine your medical records to identify inconsistencies and deviations from the established standard of care. The lawyer will then determine if you have grounds to sue the hospital or provider and guide you on the next steps.
You can count on Ankin Law for aggressive legal representation if you or a loved one has suffered harm because of a medical error. Call us at 312-600-0000 to request a free case review.
How Hospitals Reframe Medical Errors to Avoid Responsibility
Illinois hospitals reported 1,334 adverse events and resolved 287 medical malpractice claims in 2025. These figures may not accurately depict a true picture of the medical malpractice situation in the state. This is because hospitals hardly admit to medical errors explicitly. Instead, they use careful communication and procedures to dilute accountability and minimize or shift liability. Common strategies used by hospitals to reframe medical errors include:
Terming Negligence as a Known Risk
Hospitals may claim that an injury was a recognized complication of a medical procedure rather than a result of negligence. They may then cite the signed informed consent forms and claim you agreed to the consequences of the procedure. They may stick to this narrative even if the injury or complication was avoidable.
Shifting Blame
A medical facility may attribute the injury to your pre-existing illness rather than the treatment itself. The facility may also cite institutional challenges, such as staff shortfall or defective medical equipment, to avoid personal liability. This is especially true when an individual practitioner is determined to be liable for the medical error and resulting injuries. Different practitioners involved in your treatment may be advised to blame each other to confuse and pressure you into abandoning the claim.
Hiding Crucial Information in Complex Medical Terms
Overloading medical records with technical terms can leave you confused and unable to detect an inconsistency. They may, for instance, attribute the injury to an “adverse event” instead of negligence.
Common Tactics Used to Downplay Serious Medical Mistakes
Hospitals use various tactics to downplay the perceived seriousness of medical mistakes. Common tactics include:
Regulating Information and Documentation
Hospitals may deliberately ensure records are incomplete or delay providing them to you. They may fail to include crucial information regarding your treatment and resulting complications. They may also fail to document a medical error and later deny that the event happened.
Downplaying Harm When Damage Isn’t Instant
Hospitals often minimize the perceived severity of hospital malpractice by declaring an incident as harmless, especially if a patient doesn’t have an obvious injury. They may restrict what qualifies as harm to only physical damage and exclude serious complications like chronic pain, psychological trauma, and permanent or partial impairment that develops later.
Pressuring You into Signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)
Sometimes, hospitals or their insurers may send a quick, lowball settlement tied to a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) immediately after the medical incident. You will lose your right to claim additional compensation or disclose the error to the public if you accept the offer.
Hiding Behind Procedures
Medical facilities often require patients to sign several documents during admission. The documentation may include arbitration clauses, which could require you to settle the case out of court rather than through a trial. A facility may cite emergency immunity to downplay a serious medical mistake that happened during an emergency. It may claim that it was impossible to follow the established procedures strictly because urgent action was necessary, even if the mistake did not directly stem from the emergency itself.
What Hospitals Don’t Disclose After a Preventable Medical Error
Hospitals may fail to disclose the full extent of the error, what’s discovered in internal investigations, and the truth about delayed complications.
The Full Extent of the Medical Error
Hospitals rarely reveal the full scope of a medical mistake, especially if it was avoidable. They may use vague terms to describe the incident. They may, for instance, describe an incorrect or delayed diagnosis as an unanticipated event because they know when misdiagnosis becomes malpractice. They may also fail to reveal information about how the error happened, the specific medical practitioner involved, or procedures that were skipped or done poorly.
Internal Investigations
Investigations are often conducted internally immediately after a preventable medical mistake. Many providers, however, don’t reveal the findings, steps taken to prevent similar mistakes in the future, or whether an incident report was filed with relevant regulatory bodies.
Delayed Complications
Many hospitals rarely disclose delayed complications if the damage isn’t immediately obvious. This is especially true if the harm stems from an avoidable medical mistake during treatment.
These unfair tactics used by hospitals make it difficult for patients and their loved ones to understand their rights and pursue compensation for the full scope of their injuries or losses. That’s why you need to work with a lawyer closely if your doctor is trying to explain or minimize a medical error. A lawyer can help with the insurance or lawsuit process after you are harmed by a negligent medical provider.
Contact Ankin Law for legal advice and representation if you or a loved one has been injured because of medical errors. We offer a free, no-obligation consultation to review your case, determine your options, and discuss your rights.
FAQs
Why do hospitals deny or minimize medical errors?
Hospitals often deny or minimize medical errors to avoid or reduce liability and safeguard their reputation. Acknowledging medical errors is often the same as admitting liability and can result in medical malpractice claims, audits from regulatory authorities, and higher insurance premiums.
What should I do if a hospital claims an error was unavoidable?
Do not settle on the explanation without further scrutiny. Instead, gather all your medical documentation and incident reports and see another doctor for a second opinion. You should then discuss your case with a medical malpractice lawyer to help you determine if you have solid grounds to sue the hospital.
How can a medical malpractice attorney prove a hospital error?
Your lawyer will obtain and carefully review your medical records to identify a departure from the accepted standard of care. The lawyer will also work with medical expert witnesses to prove that your injury directly stemmed from negligence, but not an unavoidable hospital error.
