Urgent care clinics have grown in popularity in recent years as an alternative to hospital emergency departments. Walk-in medical clinics often offer weekend and nighttime treatment and are not connected to a hospital. Urgent care centers can be found in shopping centers, strip malls, and office complexes in suburban areas. Their locations and convenient hours make them freestanding clinics a helpful source of emergency medical treatment.
However, urgent care centers and their staff have the same legal duties and ethical responsibilities as regular doctor’s offices and hospitals. If an urgent care doctor or nurse makes a medical error that causes harm, the patient can file a medical malpractice lawsuit–regardless of the clinic’s location.
What is an Urgent Care Center?
Urgent care centers exist to help patients with conditions that aren’t life-threatening but need to be treated as soon as possible. Sometimes, a patient prefers to go to a walk-in clinic instead of going through their local hospital’s emergency department. If a primary care physician’s office is closed or a patient does not have a primary care doctor, urgent care clinics allow quick access to healthcare without the hassle and expense of treatment at the ER.
Urgent care clinics are standalone facilities, separate from regular hospitals and doctors’ offices. Many are located in convenient areas close to business and shopping centers. Because of their convenient locations and extended hours, including nights and weekends, many patients take advantage of their local urgent care center.
What Conditions are Normally Treated at an Urgent Care Center?
Urgent care centers will treat conditions that are not true emergencies but require quick treatment within 24 hours. Examples of conditions normally treated at a walk-in clinic include:
- Slips and falls
- Sprained ankles, knees, shoulders, and elbows
- Non-severe back injuries
- Breathing difficulties
- Cuts and lacerations that require stitches
- X-rays and lab tests
- Eye irritation, pain, and redness
- High fever or flu symptoms
- Vomiting or diarrhea that is continuous
- Severe cough or sore throat
- Minor bone fractures, such as injuries to fingers and toes
- Skin disorders, rashes, and swelling
- Urinary tract infections
Life-threatening medical emergencies, such as signs of heart attack, serious head injuries, broken bones, loss of vision or hearing, or other serious conditions, require a visit to the hospital emergency department instead.
Medical Malpractice at an Urgent Care Center
Doctors, nurses, and other health care providers at an urgent care center must maintain the same standards as providers in other settings. You can file a medical malpractice claim against an urgent care center if you suffered medical injury due to negligence. You will need to prove negligence to win your case against an urgent care clinic.
To prove negligence in a medical malpractice case, a claimant must show the following:
- Duty of care: Doctors, nurses, and other providers owe duties of care to their patients. They are expected to act with the same degree of care as a reasonable professional in their position (with the same skill and training).
- Breach of duty: When an urgent care provider fails to act as another provider would be expected to in the situation, they might have breached their duty of care.
- Causation: Patients are expected to prove that the provider’s action (or failure to act) directly led to their medical harm. There cannot be some other cause that explains how the patient’s condition happened or got worse.
- Damages: Proof of a new condition, or worsening condition due to negligence can be shown through medical bills, medical reports, expert opinions, and other evidence. The injured patient must show proof they were damaged.
A knowledgeable Atlanta medical malpractice lawyer will gather the evidence and work hard to prove negligence in a case against an urgent care center.
Examples of Medical Negligence at an Urgent Care Center
Patients might be disappointed in their treatment, but that doesn’t always mean they have a case against their urgent care provider. Some situations do support a claim, however.
Some examples include misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose:
- Dislocation or fracture
- Heart attack
- Appendicitis
- Stroke or oncoming stroke
- Pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
- Meningitis
- Blood clots
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Lyme disease
Medical providers at an urgent care center are expected to treat conditions that are not life-threatening and identify conditions that could be more serious. Since urgent care centers don’t have the same diagnostic equipment and resources as a hospital emergency department, they need to refer patients to those facilities if they suspect something serious. Failing to do so can make them liable for any harm that follows.
What Is the Statute of Limitations for Medical Malpractice Claims in Georgia?
The statute of limitations in Georgia is two years from the date of a medical injury. In some cases, the two-year deadline could start running from the date your medical injury is discovered or diagnosed. If you do not file your case within the deadline, you could lose your right to sue an urgent care provider. If you suspect your condition got worse or you developed a new condition due to negligence at an urgent care center, contact an Atlanta medical malpractice attorney immediately.
Consult an Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer to Learn More About Medical Negligence at an Urgent Care Center
Urgent care centers and their staff have the same duties to patients as providers in other facilities. If you suspect you were the victim of medical negligence, the experienced Atlanta, GA, medical malpractice lawyers with Malone Law Medical Malpractice and Severe Injury Lawyers will help you fight for financial recovery. Contact our dedicated legal team today to schedule a free consultation.
Contact the Atlanta Medical Malpractice Law Firm of Malone Law Medical Malpractice and Severe Injury Lawyers for Help Today
If you or a close one have suffered from medical malpractice in Atlanta, Georgia, please call Malone Law Medical Malpractice and Severe Injury Lawyers at (770) 390-7550 or contact us online to schedule a free case evaluation today.
We proudly serve in Fulton County.
Malone Law Medical Malpractice and Severe Injury Lawyers
2 Ravinia Dr NE Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30346