Medical Malpractice Lawyers
Commentary by Thomas Sullivan
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Amazingly, 98,000 people die every year in the United States due to medical errors.
Only 1 in 8 patients actually file a medical malpractice claim when they are the victim of medical malpractice.
7,000 lives are lost per year due to prescription errors.
80,000 lives are lost per year due to hospital negligence.
Sources:
Study conducted by the Institute of Medicine.
The Healthgrades Patient Safety in American Hospitals report.
Lets look at these statistics from a different perspective by comparing it to a statistic for a different type of fatality. There were 2,974 fatalities from the 911 terrorist’s attack on the World Trade Center Towers. It is a fact that 98,000 people die every year in the United States due to medical errors. In relative terms, the number of people who died from the 911 terrorist’s attack is small compared to the number of people who have died and will die from medical errors. While terrorists attacks make headlines, fatalities from medical malpractice go basically unnoticed. The question arises as to how can our federal government help reduce the relatively high degree of medical malpractice in the United States?
Under the Bush Administration, our federal government has spent billions for the Irag war, all in the name of terrorist prevention. Preventing terrorist’s attacks looks good to the American people, and the United States government needs to create a favorable impression. It appears that the Obama Administration will easily surpass the spending of the Bush Administration due to the Economic Stimulus Plan, company bailouts, TARP money and more. So what does the federal government have to do with medical malpractice? The federal government could be playing a much larger role in the prevention of medical malpractice. Studies have shown that medical malpractice in many cases can be prevented.
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Statistics have shown that patients who are more actively involved in their health care, and are actively involved in the decision making, end up with overall better results from the health care received, and statistically have fewer cases of medical malpractice. But how can our federal government help? The federal government can help educate the public through various forms of media on the need to be involved in your own health care. To date, I have not seen a single public service commercial about the importance of being actively involved in your own health care. A relatively small amount of money spent by our federal government can help save thousands of lives. While terrorist’s attack prevention and economic stimulus plans makes good headlines, money directed toward preventing medical malpractice is money well spent, and is only a tiny drop in the bucket compared to the money spent by our federal government.
If a doctor prescribes a drug, ask about the side effects of that drug, use the Internet to gain information about that drug, look things up, and simply be actively involved in the development of your own good health. Today, gaining reliable information about a drug, medical condition, and medical procedure can be done easily by tapping into the wealth of information available to you online. Some people question some of the medical information found on the Internet, but if the information you find is the same from various sources, this provides greater validity to the information and you can therefore assume that the information is correct. Today, it is not appropriate for the patient to just sit back and let the doctor do all the decision making. The expression “the doctor knows best” should be changed to “the doctor knows best but the patient knows his/herself.” Learning about your medical condition and the various options involved for treatment is imperative for the prevention of medical malpractice.
A doctor is trained to diagnose and treat a patient. But the patient knows him/herself better then the doctor. By being actively involved in every decision, and making sure the doctor knows all there is to know about you from a medical perspective, is very important in the prevention of medical malpractice. Doctors do not start their day with the intention of performing medical malpractice. You can help the doctor prevent medical malpractice by making sure the doctor knows everything there is to know about you from a medical and psychological perspective.
While many cases of medical malpractice can be prevented, there still are situations where the doctor or hospital simply make a mistake. And where a mistake has been made, then the patient has a clear right to proceed with appropriate litigation in order to receive some compensation. If you believe medical malpractice has taken place toward you or a family member, you should discuss the details with a personal injury lawyer who understands the intricacies of Tort Law, and who has had a good track record in terms of winning malpractice cases. If you are seeking a medical malpractice lawyer, the following directory should be helpful. Directory information is provided by the National Association of Personal Injury Lawyers.
Medical Malpractice Lawyers - Directory
Medical Malpractice Lawyers - Summary of Medical Malpractice Law for Each State
Information provided by McCullough, Campbell & Lane LLP
INDEX OF STATES
| Alabama | Kentucky | North Dakota |
| Alaska | Louisiana | Ohio (revised 2006) |
| Arizona | Maine | Oklahoma |
| Arkansas | Maryland | Oregon (revised 2003) |
| California | Massachusetts | Pennsylvania (revised 2007) |
| Colorado | Michigan (revised 2002) | Rhode Island |
| Connecticut (revised 2007) | Minnesota | South Carolina |
| Delaware | Mississippi (revised 2007) | South Dakota |
| District of Columbia | Missouri | Tennessee |
| Florida | Montana | Texas (revised 2007) |
| Georgia | Nebraska | Utah |
| Hawaii | Nevada | Vermont |
| Idaho | New Hampshire | Virginia (revised 2003) |
| Illinois (revised 2002) | New Jersey | Washington |
| Indiana | New Mexico | West Virginia |
| Iowa | New York | Wisconsin |
| Kansas (revised 2002) | North Carolina | Wyoming |
Studies have been done which show that most patients who have been harmed from medical malpractice do not follow through with litigation. If you feel you have been harmed in some way due to the negligence or wrongdoing of a doctor or hospital, you should discuss the situation with a medical malpractice lawyer, also referred to as a personal injury lawyer. A medical malpractice lawyer can let you know if you have a legitimate case and can advise you on the appropriate direction to proceed. Today, compensation can exist as one large lump sum of money, or you can receive compensation from a out-of-court structured settlement. A structured settlement is where the insurance company of the doctor or hospital buys an annuity, and you get paid over a period of time, or your life time, periodically from the annuity. These various options can be discussed with your attorney.
Medical Malpractice Lawyers - Conclusion
Neither the doctor or the patient wants to experience medical malpractice. Our federal government can play a much greater role in educating people about the need to be actively involved in their own health care. Today, a patient can easily gain reliable information about their medical condition and treatment options with a few clicks of the mouse. Medical malpractice can be prevented in many cases if the patient is actively involved in their own health care. This being said, mistakes by doctors and hospitals do take place, and when they do the patient has a right to compensation through appropriate litigation. If you have a legitimate case as determined by your personal injury lawyer, the case can be settled without going to court by an out-of-court structured settlement. This and other options exist for the patient. Discuss the options with your personal injury attorney, and then you can decide on the appropriate route to proceed for your case.
Medical Malpractice Lawyers - Videos
Medical Malpractice - Videos: |
Medical Malpractice Lawyers - News
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Copyright 2009 Medical News Today
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