"Medical errors cause up to 98,000 deaths annually and should be considered a national epidemic."

Institute of Medicine Report, 1999

What is Medical Malpractice?

This is a type of personal injury claim in which doctors, medical facilities (including hospitals), and/or nurses were negligent (careless) in their care and treatment of a patient, which then causes the patient harm. Medical Malpractice refers specifically to those types of injuries that were the result of negligence and were preventable. Injuries can include disfigurement, burns, prolonged illness, organ failure, and death.

A medical professional is careless when he or she does not perform at the accepted medical standard of care for trained professionals in their area. This covers a wide variety of actions, such as misdiagnosis, failure to diagnose, failure to appropriately treat, performing the wrong surgery, leaving objects in during surgery, and numerous others.

Types of Medical Malpractice Claims

While these claims all involve medical care and treatment, the types of claims are as varied as the number of medical specialties and practices. Unfortunately, medical malpractice happens in all areas and can happen at any medical facility.

Some types of claims include:

• Hospital Negligence
• Surgical Errors
• Psychiatric Malpractice
• Nursing Negligence
• Pulmonary Embolism Malpractice
• Vaccine Injuries
• Radiology Errors
• Orthopedic Negligence
• Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Negligence
• Emergency Room Errors
• Childbirth Injuries
• Failure or Delay in Diagnosis
• Failure or Delay in Treatment
• Misdiagnosis (giving the wrong diagnosis)
• Medication Errors
• Foreign Objects Left in Body
• Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

Why do I Need a Lawyer?

Medical malpractice claims are among the most sophisticated and complex personal injury matters. Aside from significant legal requirements that must be met in order to pursue these claims, an in-depth medical investigation is first required to determine whether a legal claim even exists. This investigation includes obtaining all of the injured party’s medical records and having them reviewed by a qualified physician who can describe the standard of care and determine whether the standard of care was met .

In addition, there is a very short time limit to file a medical malpractice lawsuit. If you suspect you have a medical malpractice claim, it is important that you contact a lawyer as soon as possible to begin the investigation.

If you would like to discuss medical care you feel was negligent, please contact us.