Medical malpractice is considered negligence by an act or omission of a medical professional or a health care worker. An act is considered negligence when a certain procedure or care delivered to a patient is lower than the acceptable standard of medical practice.
If a certain patient is injured, dies, or has experienced some unwanted reactions due to a medical error, the health care professional who is responsible can be accused. In this situation, a medical professional must have a legal counsel to work out the case.
According Forbes.com, over three billion dollars was spent in 2012 for just malpractice payouts. Knowing this fact can bring awareness that medical malpractice continues to be one of the biggest issues in the medical world.
Medical Misdiagnosis Legal Pay-outs Statistics
Patients are becoming meticulous about what their health care professionals are giving them. Even just a minor medical error can end the career of a doctor or medical professional. From the three billion dollars in malpractice payouts, about five percent is given as payouts for trial judgments, and about ninety-three percent are given by the process of settlement.
With such a high amount for settlements, a healthcare professional should always be careful and carry medical malpractice insurance. More cases are being filed each year and more payouts are being spent on these types of errors. Some medical professionals, patients, and insurance companies view medical malpractice as inefficient, expensive, and unpredictable, and coming up with solutions to fix these issues has become the ultimate challenge.
Medical malpractice cases can be stressful, costly, and time-consuming for both parties in a trial. However, both are protected by law so that no one will be able to abuse another. If you are a healthcare professional and a malpractice claim has been filed against you, the first step is to contact an experienced lawyer to review all the necessary documents to present if or when you go to trial.
It’s a complicated world today, especially for the medical community. Everyone is entitled to their rights and they never fail to exercise them. It may take a while to completely fix these issues, and with new healthcare laws in the U.S., more challenges will present themselves. As long as we stay focused on what’s important and what really matters- actually taking care of all the patients properly- that is all that really matters.
You can visit our Personal Injury page here.