The hospital wouldn't let me see my child and let her sign herself out of hospital

I was treated like a complete stranger and kept from her intil they released her. I took my 17 year old daughter to the hospital she was very sick. I signed her in and she is on my insurance, she is a minor. I recieved a phone call while we were waiting to be seen I stepped away for a few minutes and when I returned I asked to go back with my daughter. The lady that checked us in said they are getting her situated so I couldn't go back. So I waited then I waited longer, a while had passed and I saw them taking her to the x-ray department so I waited. Then I went up and said I want to go back with my daughter now and the lady said the doctor is with her right now so you can't go back. I was upset I couldn't understand so I waited and waited I also had my 11 year old with me in the waiting room. I told the lady at the desk that we were going to step outside for a few minutes, keep in mind the outside was just several steps away and I could see the waiting room from there. we never left the front of the building or got in a car to sit or nothing. after a couple of minutes my daughter walked out and said she had the swine flu and pnemoina in her left lung and handed me papers one was a prescription and the other was her release papers that gave her directions on what to do with her condition and they had her sign her own release papers to check herself out. I said oh no way I can't believe they let you check yourself out and the doctor never talked to me about your condition or anything. I asked her if she remembered to tell the doctor that she had an injury to her ribs on the left side and was having a little hard time breathing she said she forgot. I was really upset and walked back in and told the lady I wanted to talk to the doctor about my daughter and she just looked at me as if why? and I said she is a minor and he never talked to me and let her sign herself out of here and she is all confussed as to what the doctor said and you guys wouldn't let me go back there with her. I want to talk to the doctor. She got up went back to the back and I guess talked to the doctor and then came and got me.We heard him telling another nurse or someone he did know and he was going to talk to me but he forgot. I told the doctor about her injury to her left side and could that be the cause of her left lung looking bad and he said oh no if it was bad the reports would have shown it I was like are you sure, Her swine flu test came up negitive but he told her she probably has it and then he told me the same he said the test is only 70 % accurate.I have an auto immune disease MS and I needed to know all the for my own saftey also and I am a food service supervisor for a senior center these two issuse are danerous to everybody but more so to people with diseases and seniors. I felt completely violated through the whole hospital visit. I want to know if they had the right to keep me from my daughter while she was in the room and allow her to sign herself out as a minor and they didn't even know the whole medical history. Do I have a case?

It seems you may frankly. File a complaint with the head of the hospital as well and ask for an explanation of all of this--in writing.

It is hard to understand their actions based on what you say here. You certainly should have been closely consulted etc. and provided all access.

Get a free consult from an attny - and talk to the risk management on-staff and in-hospital and be sure to bring a few witnesses with you each time (and a recorder if the lawyer says it's kosher).

Better yet, see if you can't turn a buck on a media sob story about how bad hospitals are already performing ( & where in Obama's Great Plan does it say that they are actually responsible for their mistakes???)

Burn that hospital as bad as you can, cuz the Joint Commission will not come down hard on them unless someone dies, and even then the investigation results are private.

Just my two cents.

[130smartchick]

A case for what? Nothing you've said amounts to negligence. She had an xray which showed the pnuemonia and would have shown if she had a cracked rib (for which there is no treatment anyway). And pnuemonia will cause some breathing difficulties.

She got the release form and presumably a prescription for antibiotics. The release should list her aftercare.

Not a big deal.

Personally, unless it was something that would have them being hospitalized, I probably wouldn't even go back with my 17 year old.

If she didn't tell them (and presumably you didn't tell them at checkin) that she was having trouble breathing, what was given as the reason for the visit? Fever?