I am sure that a great many people fully understand or realize that medical malpractice is a real and ever growing problem. People are killed everyday from wrong diagnoses and incorrect treatments. Most of these cases are private and many are never reported. The population at large doesn’t know very much about medical practices to recognize when they are faced with it. They are relegated to taking the word of the doctor and staff at face value. This may explain why only a small number of claims are filed for malpractice suits and only about half of them actually win the lawsuit.
Medical malpractice insurance is carried by physicians as to cover them in the event someone files a malpractice claim against them. In the past the cost for this type of insurance was a flat rate, but due to the fact that medical malpractice suits are on the rise, the cost for this insurance has also begun to rise. There are not as many providers for this type of insurance as it use to be. This is because medical costs are going up and it is very difficult to make a profit in this business.
An example of medical malpractice would be failure to treat a medical problem correctly that would cause a new medical problem or makes the existing one worse. If a physician fails to diagnose a disease, detects the problem to late to help the patient or fails to treat the condition correctly after it has been diagnosed it could be considered malpractice. If problems occur during the use of anesthesia or surgery that was due to the fault of the doctor or a member of the staff it could be malpractice. Also, prescribing the wrong medication for a patient or medicine that interferes with other known conditions the patient may suffer from is also grounds for malpractice.
Often, a Medical malpractice suit is expensive and very complicated. You must be able to provide all of the necessary information to your attorney to have a chance of winning a lawsuit of this nature. This would be information such as a detailed list of the patient’s medical history. This would include all doctors and hospitals or clinics that the patient has visited and all treatments that the patients received during this time, even if it seems unimportant. All medicines taken and prescribed must be recorded and a written description of all conversations that have taken place will be needed along with the dates everything took place. In most cases a medical expert reviews the case and will ultimately be the one to decide if the suit is legitimate.
About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm (VA-NC law offices ) edits the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and the Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard injury law blog as a pro bono service to consumers. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY, who handle car, truck, railroad, and medical negligence cases and more.
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One Comment
johare vp med mal claims
The gen'l public does not understand medicine. This is why there are not more cases brought. These are also the same people that populate the jury pool. A different forum is needed, arbitration for instance. .It is cheaper. A Dr gets a jury of peers and most of the money goes to the actual injured party in a timely manner.
regards Jim
PS True med mal needs to be paid. The problem is the forum.
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