It is the duty of healthcare providers to provide you with the best healthcare possible. When you visit a doctor, you trust them to diagnose your condition and offer treatment. However, in spite of the extreme care that most medical professionals take, there have been many instances of medical malpractices. Sometimes, a medical practitioner may make errors in the process of administering treatment to a patient, thereby causing him or her harm. When this happens, one can apply for a medical malpractice claim. A malpractice suit can be lodged against an individual doctor, the medical institution, nurses or whoever else may have caused the malpractice. There are many types of monetary compensation for medical malpractice you can seek in a suit. …show more content…
2. Cost of Care Besides medical bills, cost of care for injuries from a medical malpractice can sometimes be very high. These costs could run for a prolonged period. Always ensure that your claims lawyer understands your need for care and the expected duration of care before a cost of care compensation is determined. 3. The Demise of a Loved One In the unfortunate event that a loved dies due to medical malpractice, the closest family member can claim damages. Although no amount of damages awarded can compensate for the loss of a life, the monetary compensation can go a long way in assisting the bereaved family member to cope with the loss. 4. Compensation for Physical Pain and Emotional Distress One can also seek compensation for physical pain and emotional distress in a medical malpractice case. This claim usually attracts a higher dollar amount in terms of compensation than any other medical malpractice claim. A competent lawyer should help you get the highest possible compensation for the pain and suffering you have gone through after a medical malpractice situation. 5. Loss of Earning
For decades doctors have been revered, respected, and regarded as “saviors,” but what medical practitioners and health officials do not reveal is that there are some doctors that are unlawfully practicing medicine, and nothing is being done to stop them. Medical malpractice is the illegal or improper practice of medicine. Unfortunately, this is far too common. The people that are victims of malpractice often get no compensation for the problems a physician has created. Although doctors are trusted individuals and have a right to provide medical advice, perform surgeries, and prescribe medicine, patients should also be able to have more control and security in their medical dealings through new laws and regulations.
Malpractice consists of an out-of-court, no-fault system brought to a regions government appointment review board. It determines if compensation is in order and how much. The money comes a patient relief fund which is generated from insurance premiums placed on the physicians money, the hospital, or from a general fund from revenues.
The last element is damages. “Damages are proven when it is determined the injury was a result of the practitioner's actions. The intent of awarding damages is to make the plaintiff whole, meaning as if the negligence never occurred” (Walker, 2011, para. 15). Damages are usually paid in the form of money, but I do not think any amount of money will ever make this patient feel whole or that the negligence never occurred.
Malpractice is the failure to provide professional services with the skill usually exhibited by responsible and careful members of the profession, resulting in injury, loss, or damage to the party contracting those services. Though accountants, lawyers, and other professionals can be charged with malpractice, the term is most commonly associated with medical professionals (e.g., doctors, nurses, hospital technicians.) Liability in malpractice depends on whether "a physician meets a legally required standard of care" (Greenberg 2011). Most medical malpractice suits are for negligence on the part of medical professionals in providing this expected level of care. In recent decades, partially as a consequence of medical costs, there has been a considerable expansion of medical malpractice suits, though the number of malpractice claims represents only a small percentage (about 3%) of all cases of actual negligence. State tort provisions do "influence litigation risk and malpractice insurance is used to mitigate this risk" (Linville 2011).
Once you have decided to pursue with a case of medical malpractice, you need to gather all your medical details in a proper manner. You should also take second opinions on your medical conditions from prominent doctors who are known to have appeared in tort of negligence cases. You need to ensure that you are ready to present all the documentary
Begin your search for an attorney you can trust. Limit your search for attorneys that specializes in medical malpractice for optimal assistance. One method you can use to find medical malpractice attorneys is to find attorneys you trust and ask for referrals. Medical malpractice attorneys are able to tell you if you have a case and whether or not your case is worth bringing before a judge. Medical malpractice is a highly specialized area of law. In each state lies different sets of medical malpractice laws that might affect your chances of getting success in a court room. Some states may contain laws that outline a clear pathway into the courtroom, and in others, you may have to deal with more complicated laws. Find an attorney that will give
Lawsuits of medical malpractice may be the greatest threat to justice in the legal system. Tort cases are constantly filed against medical practices which cause health care prices to dramatically increase in states lacking caps. Medical practitioners are forced to undergo an unnecessary amount of costly tests and procedures in order to defend themselves from frivolous lawsuits. The expenses of these precautions cause hospitals and other medical facilities to charge more for the care given to the patients,
It is not guaranteed that your physician or any other health professional will provide you with the valued care at all times even if they truly attempted to. In this situation, which could be detrimental to a person's health and life brings up the ongoing trend of medical malpractice suits. Medical malpractice can occur on different occasions. The various types of medical malpractice include: plastic and cosmetic surgery, prescription drug error, birth injuries, obstetric malpractice, and surgical as well as diagnosis errors. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, Americans file more than 17,000 medical malpractice lawsuits a year. If those lawsuits are won in favor of the patient, it can result in extreme out of pocket costs for the hospital that the health provider is associated with. In a 2005 medical malpractice case, the jury awarded 4.5 million to a family of a boy born with severe brain damage after a traumatic delivery in 1996. Due to the poor delivery, the boy now suffers from cerebral palsy and functions at the level of a
The United States legal system exists with many favorable conditions for filing malpractice lawsuits, including low burden of proof requirements, lax limits on damage awards, and the lack of a cost-sharing provision on filing a legal action.
Medical malpractice, the negligence of a health professional in diagnosing, treating, and or caring for a patient, is a specific tort law under the negligence torts. In the medical field, the tort reform has affected many people including doctors, lawyers, insurance company owners and workers, patients, and including other citizens. While large corporations, doctors, and other defendants are benefitting from caps on damages, that is limiting the amount of money that can be granted in court, plaintiffs, lawyers, and citizens are affected differently. Doctor Sage stated in an interview that he has, “never felt that caps on damages had a major effect on patients one way or the other” (“Could Malpractice”). This remark makes those injured question about
“Medical malpractice occurs when a hospital, doctor or other health care professional, through a negligent act or omission, causes an injury to a patient. The negligence might be the result of errors in diagnosis, treatment, aftercare or health management.” (Admin) One of the most common type of claims that pharmacies face are negligence claims. Negligence is one of the categories that falls under the area of law called Torts. In the Hundley v Rite Aid case, a tort was filed for injuries that were sustained by Gabrielle Hundley after she took medication from an incorrectly filed prescription. The case involved a jury trial verdict involving Gabrielle Hundley, a minor child, against Howard Jones, the pharmacist, and the Rite
In order to receive compensation for medical injuries claimants are required to prove that the medical injury was caused due to the negligence of the medical professional against whom the claim is made. Compensation would only be awarded if the claimant is able to successfully prove their claim in accordance with the legal tests used by the judiciary when determining the liability of the medical professional.
Having a fragmented healthcare system, physicians have great control over patient outcomes and remain the pivotal point of litigation over injury; even when most of the errors derive from poorly designed systems of care. Due to this, physicians resist engaging patients and their families if things go wrong. The patients who suffer a bad outcome are the ones who turn to litigation, since they were denied any explanation during their time of care. Consequently, even if defense medicine cost more, dissolution gives an inducement to practice defensively. Several studies have shown that the vast majority of patients injured through medical malpractice do not sue (Ottenwess, Lamberti, Ottenwess & Dresevic, 2010). Instead, the insurance cycle is likely a major contributor to rising malpractice insurance premiums and that defensive medicine plays a minor role in rising health care costs (Ellington et al., 2010).
Broadly speaking, malpractice is the failure of a medical professional to fulfill his or her obligation to treat you properly. Unlike other personal injury claims, the juries and judges in malpractice cases must look at the standards set for reasonable medical care. While personal injury cases are based on the responsibilities of a normal person, malpractice cases are based on the responsibilities of a healthcare professional.
Medical malpractice lawsuits are an extremely serious topic and have affected numerous patients, doctors, and hospitals across the country. Medical malpractice is defined as “improper, unskilled or negligent treatment of a patient by a physician, dentist, nurse, pharmacist, or other health care professional” (Medical malpractice, n.d.). If a doctor acts negligent and causes harm to a patient, malpractice lawsuits arise. Negligence is the concept of the liability concerning claims of medical malpractice, making this type of litigation part of tort law. Tort law provides that one person may litigate negligence to recover damages for personal injury. Negligence laws are designed to deter careless behavior and also to