Pressure Injuries and Liability: What Healthcare Leaders Need to Know

Pressure injuries (PIs) remain one of healthcare’s most visible and costly indicators of care quality. Yet beyond patient harm and penalties, the legal and financial exposure for hospitals is profound.

Why it matters

Pressure injury litigation ranks among the most frequent and financially devastating claims in healthcare.

• 87% of PI cases that reach court result in plaintiff victories. (Petrone K., et al. 2017)
• One in four cases settle before trial due to incomplete or inaccurate documentation. Even a Stage 2 PI’s can lead juries to equate “bedsores” with neglect, creating reputational and financial damage. (Jehle, et al., 2019)
• Average settlement = $250K per case. (Petrone K., et al. 2017)

The documentation dilemma

Plaintiffs build their arguments on clinical records, policies, and eCQM data—particularly CMS and AHRQ quality measures. Gaps in documentation, staging errors, and late assessments can undermine a facility’s defense, even when care was clinically sound.

Where cases go wrong

Common failure points include:

• Missed or delayed admission skin assessments
• Visual-only evaluations, which can miss early tissue damage, especially in darker skin tones
• Inconsistent interventions (e.g., skipped turns, poor offloading, malnutrition)
• Incomplete handoffs between departments

Without objective data, it’s difficult to prove a pressure injury was present on admission (POA) or truly unavoidable—two critical defense points in malpractice litigation.

How technology reduces risk

Validated technology can fundamentally reshape prevention and defense.

• The Provisio® SEM Scanner, FDA-cleared for pressure injury management, detects subepidermal moisture—an early biomarker of tissue damage—before visual signs appear.
• Objective, timestamped SEM data confirms POA status and guides timely interventions, helping clinicians prevent injuries or reduce severity.
• Integration platforms like PIPPA (Pressure Injury Prevention Personal Assistant) allow leaders to visualize risk across units and embed best practices into workflows.

When used within its FDA-cleared scope, such technology strengthens both patient outcomes and legal defensibility—replacing subjective interpretation with objective evidence.

What leaders can do

Hospital administrators and nursing leaders can reduce exposure by:

• Aligning policies with evidence-based standards and FDA-approved use
• Ensuring continuous, inclusive staff training, particularly for diverse skin tone assessment
• Embedding clear documentation workflows linking SEM findings to interventions
• Fostering a just culture of safety, where communication and prevention are prioritized

Bottom line

The strongest legal defense doesn’t begin in the courtroom—it’s built at the bedside. Objective, defensible data like that from the Provizio® SEM Scanner transforms documentation from subjective notes into verifiable proof of quality care.

Reach out to Bruin Biometrics for more information about how we can help your organization.