Medical Malpractice Attorneys

Medical professionals must follow the highest standards of care when treating their patients. If a healthcare professional fails to adhere this standard and this negligence causes injuries or complications to the patient, it could be a cause for a claim for malpractice.

A successful malpractice case could aid in the payment of medical expenses or reimburse lost wages and acknowledge pain and discomfort. However, medical malpractice lawsuits can be complicated.

The wrong diagnosis

Medical malpractice lawsuits involving incorrect diagnosis are common. This type of claim is typically filed by a healthcare doctor who fails to correctly diagnose an injury or illness of a patient. For instance, a physician might diagnose a patient as having pneumonia when in reality the patient suffers from staph. A mistake in diagnosis could have serious consequences for the patient including death.

According to medical malpractice insurance companies, diagnosis-related malpractice claims account for between 9 percent (obstetrics) and 61 percent (pediatrics) of their total claims. However the data on medical malpractice claims is not extensive and could be biased toward more severe errors. Furthermore, many claims fall through or are dismissed without payment, and many meritorious errors will never result in a malpractice lawsuit.

A plaintiff must demonstrate the court, in order to win an action for medical malpractice, that the doctor did not follow the standard of care when diagnosing the condition. The lawyer representing the plaintiff needs to show that the doctor's mistake directly caused an actual injury.

The litigation process in medical malpractice lawsuits is time-consuming, costly and emotionally intense. Although the majority of medical malpractice cases are settled out of court, attorneys for both parties and experts must devote time and money in negotiations, discovery, and trial preparation. Additionally, doctors are often forced to pay the premiums for malpractice insurance as the claims process proceeds. These costs have led to demands for reforms in tort law, which would reduce the cost of litigation as well as encourage quicker and fair settlements.

Errors in Treatment

When you visit a doctor or hospital for treatment, you expect to receive medical care that complies with the customary practices in your area. This includes accurate diagnosis and a suitable course of treatment, and a proper monitoring to ensure that your health improves. However, mistakes by nurses, doctors, or other medical personnel could be serious and cause permanent injuries, or even death.

These errors can take many forms. A hospital staff member could not understand the patient's chart and administer the incorrect medication. This type of mistake typically occurs in emergency rooms where there is a short time frame and staff members are pressured to provide fast service. This could also happen when an ER doctor is treating a condition that isn't within their expertise.

Other types of mistakes include prescribing the wrong medication or giving patients the wrong dosage, which can result in injuries. These mistakes can be made by pharmacists, doctors nurse practitioners, physician's assistants, and optometrists. They could also result in failing to prescribe or recommend follow-up treatment needed to treat the problem.

Incorrect medication can result in various serious injuries. For instance, consuming an anticoagulant that is actually intended for heart patients could cause a bleeding disorder or cause a patient to suffer stroke. If you or a loved one has been injured due to an error in medical care it is recommended that you consult an experienced New York medical negligence lawyer to determine if you are eligible to claim compensation.

Negligence

Negligence may be the result of medical professionals who do not adhere to accepted standards. This can happen in many places, such as hospitals, doctor's offices, therapy clinics, and nursing homes. If a doctor violates these guidelines and a patient is permanently hurt they may be required to compensate the victim for the harm.

To win a malpractice claim the party who was injured must show that the doctor's breach in professional duties led to the injury. This is referred to as causation and is a crucial aspect of the legal norm. The breach must have been directly responsible for the injury and the damages that occurred must be quantifiable, such as medical or medical malpractice lawsuits lost wages.

In cases of medical malpractice lawyers representing plaintiffs must also convince the juror that it is more likely than not that a doctor's actions or inactions contributed to the damages sought. This can be a difficult task because people aren't always clear in their memories or are in awe of what they believe that the other side will say.

It is also crucial that the lawyer has a thorough understanding of the medical profession and the way it functions. This knowledge can be used to show that the breach in professional duty caused the patient's injury. Medical malpractice cases are filed in federal or state courts, and usually require expert witnesses to describe how the standard of care was not met.

Punitive Damages

We are often under the impression that medical professionals will treat us with skill, care and professionalism. However, mistakes of a serious nature can occur and cause permanent injuries or even death. If the errors result in wrongful death, victims and their family members may be entitled to compensation for the loss they've suffered.

These cases could involve lawsuits against hospitals, doctors nurses, physical therapists, pharmacists and diagnostic imaging technicians and even manufacturers of medical equipment. Since many parties could be accountable, it's often advisable for victims to file claims against all of them while working with their New York medical malpractice lawyers to determine which persons or businesses should be sued.

Punitive damages are designed to penalize the defendant and discourage them from repeating similar actions in the future. Punitive damages are not limited to specific injuries. They can be applied to a whole category of people and are reserved for extreme infractions.

The first category of damages in medical malpractice lawsuits is the reimbursement for actual financial losses, including the cost of medical malpractice law firms treatment and lost wages. Your New York medical negligence lawyer can assist you in determining the amount of your losses by providing expert testimony about what constitutes a breach of standard of care in the case's location and specialization. This is an important step because, without this evidence, your claim could be denied at the preliminary hearing level.