Reference no: EM133760703

Question

Was the standard of care given in this case? In 2020 there was a young lady who visited Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. The young lady waited in the emergency department for hours without treatment or being seen by a physician. Later in the evening she passed away. She presented to the ER with concerns of shortness of breath and chest pain. She did receive an xray which showed she had an enlarged heart. This situation along with 19 others opened a federal investigation against Froedtort Hospital. The federal investigation report concluded that the hospital was operating in compliance and that they would be able to continue receiving federal funding. The hospital's policy states that a patient should have their vitals reassessment every 30 minutes. Per one of the hospital's representatives, there was no failure in patients being reassessed and reassessments were delayed due to the high capacity of the Emergency Department. I do believe the standard of care was violated. The patient was triaged and did receive testing. Patient presented to the ER with complaints of chest pain and shortness of breath which would typically warrant immediate attention by a provider. Although the hospitals policy states to reassess every 30 minutes,