Medical Malpractice Cases...
There's recently been a lot of publicity thrown at medical malpractice cases, both from the medical profession and from the trial lawyers association. It's worth your time and effort to be educated on all the issues that influence medical malpractice cases.
When you go to the hospital or see your physician, there is an unspoken social bond that your doctor will, at the very least, "do no harm." While the medical professionals in America are
among the best in the world, there are exceptions. "Medical
Malpractice" - When
injuries are deemed to be the result of a
medical professional not using their training and skill to the best of
their capability, or within the current state of the art for their
profession. This has called for caps on medical malpractice case awards, dating back to the Clinton administration. While considered by some as get rich schemes, the reality is that medical malpractice lawsuits help patients recover damages when something goes horribly wrong. Whether or not an incident is treated as malpractice is a function of the local (usually county, but sometimes state) medical malpractice board, which is made up of physicians. Medical malpractice cases need to establish what the expected standard of care is for a procedure. This is a benchmark that relies on both knowledge of the current practice of the procedure in question, and the education of that procedure by the medical malpractice board. Should the incident in question be determined to be below the expected standard of care for the procedure and facilities, most malpractice boards will award some sort of compensation for pain and suffering, loss of quality of life and/or wrongful death. There are statutes of limitations on how long after the incident a patient can file a malpractice claim. Medical malpractice cases are also time consuming and costly – they require expert witnesses, and the attorney must access all medical records for their clients (this can take months).Because most medical malpractice cases are taken on contingency, there may be cases where it's difficult or impossible to find representation, even if the case has merits. Contingency payment is meant to keep attorneys
from taking advantage of their clients, but 'winability' is an
important consideration in medical malpractice lawsuits.
Plastic Surgery
Horror Stories
- This case study illustrates what can happen when you don't do your
due diligence with a physician. Read about all the liability factors
and settlement negotiations in a botched breast implant case. |
