Medical Malpractice Suit: What You Need to Know Before Filing One
By Joanne Aika Castillo | August 8, 2009
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When people go to a hospital either for a check-up, treatment, or operation, they rely on doctors and nurses to give them the best care and medication possible. The medical services of hospitals and other health care facilities should always operate within the standards and regulations of the health care industry. In the event that health care providers bypass certain procedures or did something which was not supposed to be done that caused injury and damages on the patients part, a medical malpractice lawsuit should be filed.
The issue of medical malpractice is a very severe situation. That’s why both the health care providers and patients should be aware of what needs to be done in case this happens. Medical malpractice may include misdiagnosis of illness, failure to properly provide treatment to a disease, and unreasonable delay of treatment which then led to the patients physical or psychological injury and/or in worst case scenarios- death. The patient should hire a medical malpractice lawyer to help him/her gather evidence and prove the validity of the claim. Once proven guilty, the medical practitioner will then be accountable for all the damages done to the patient.
The law regarding medical malpractice varies from state to state. There are certain time limits for medical malpractice claims depending on the situation and which state it was committed. Thus, it is very important for patients to file the complaint immediately upon discovery. It is also very important to make sure that there is enough evidence to prove that damage has been done in the first place. The court has denied a lot of medical malpractice lawsuits because of insignificant and impermanent damages. One should make sure that the injury or damage was done in the event of the health practitioners wrongdoing. If this cannot be proven, even in the presence of negligence, there is no solid medical malpractice suit.
The four parties involved in a medical malpractice case are: the plaintiff, the defendant, the medical malpractice attorney, and the expert witness.
The plaintiff is the patient. If the patient has died from the injury, the state administrator should represent the plaintiff. The defendant is the medical professional. This pertains not only to a doctor but to other health care professionals and facilities such as nurses, dentists, therapists, clinics and hospitals. The medical malpractice lawyers are experts in the field of professional liability. Their responsibilities include gathering of evidence, proving the plaintiff’s claim in court, and negotiating the maximum amount of compensation possible. Finally, expert witnesses serve as verifiers for a malpractice claim based on the evidence presented. These experts are qualified by the court and they should be knowledgeable and well trained for their respective fields.
Here are four determinants that should be present to prove that there is a solid medical malpractice claim: a duty was owed (care and treatment services), a duty was breached (inability to provide standard care), the breached caused injury, and therefore resulted to damages.
The fees and compensation is different in each state. This is the primary reason why patients are highly advised to immediately hire a medical malpractice attorney since they are the ones who know the ins and outs of medical malpractice law, the approximation of the fees depending on the injury, and the ability to go to court which raises the bar for accountability and compensation on the defendants part.
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