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Here's a
little known fact... medical errors are one of the Nation's leading causes
of death and injury. The Institute of Medicine has estimated that as
many as 44,000 to 98,000 people die in United States hospitals each year
because of medical errors.
This means that more people die from medical
errors than from motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer, or AIDS.
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What Are Medical Errors? |
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Medical errors happen
when a course of treatment or protocol that was planned as a part of
medical care doesn't work, or when the wrong treatment or protocol is
used. Medical errors can occur virtually anywhere in our vast health care
system, including but not limited to:
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- Hospitals |
| - Clinics |
| - Outpatient Surgery
Centers |
| - Doctors' Offices
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| - Nursing Homes
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| - Pharmacies
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| - Patients' Homes |
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| Errors can involve a number of
things, for example: |
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| - Medicines |
| - Surgery |
| - Diagnosis |
| - Equipment |
| - Lab reports |
| - Devices |
| - X-Rays |
| - Mammograms |
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| Medical negligence can
occur in the most simplistic of tasks or treatments, such as when a
patient with dangerously high blood pressure on a strict no-salt diet is
given a high salt meal, or a nut allergy is violated. |
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| Many medical errors are
directly attributable to the complex (and insurance company ruled) health
care system. However, errors occur when physicians and patients have
communication problems, such as when a doctor does not give the patient
enough information to make an informed decision (informed consent). |
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What Is Medical Malpractice? |
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| The medical industry is
about healing and living. But doctors deal with death and dying as an
unavoidable part of their profession. Tragic and unpredicted results
sometimes occur during the course of medical treatment. Should there have
been a different result? Perhaps. But perhaps not. |
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| A baby is very ill when born, and the child is later diagnosed with
cerebral palsy. A healthy mother in her forties dies following routine
liposuction surgery. The first person to blame is usually to doctor, and
when a tragic result occurs, many quickly point the finger at the
physician. Our medical malpractice lawyers realize that not every bad
outcome is preventable. While tragedy often strikes though the doctors are
faultless, many times there is serious negligence or carelessness or
incompetence on the part of the physician. In the wake of an emotionally
devastating experience, whether it's dealing with your own illness, or the
illness or death of a loved one, blame is often difficult to assign, and
finding the truth of what happened can prove to be most difficult. |
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| Are you or your loved one a victim of medical negligence? Before you
accuse your doctor of malpractice, start by asking questions. If the
answers don't make sense or if you have other suspicions, then you should
seek another professional's opinion. Ideally, you should consult with a
lawyer or law firm whose practice is devoted substantially to medical
malpractice cases. Our medical / legal staff devotes most of their time to
medical malpractice cases. |
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| When a potential medical
malpractice client comes into our office, we gather information from that
person and then obtain and scrutinize their medical records. Once we
conduct research, which often times involves consulting with outside
doctors and other medical personnel, we then give you our opinion as to
whether the bad outcome was the product of medical malpractice. |
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Pain and
Suffering Damages |
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| Medical malpractice victims can get money awarded to compensate for doctor
and hospital bills, to replace lost income, to cover future medical
expenses, and also to compensate for pain and suffering, as well as loss
of opportunity. Pain and suffering damages can be awarded to individuals
suffering from discomfort, disfigurement, embarrassment, humiliation, and
from the loss of the opportunity to experience and enjoy the simple
pleasures of life. For many women victims of medical negligence, the
result is the loss of reproductive health, and with it the missed
opportunity to have a child. |
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Types of
Medical Malpractice Claims |
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| Types of malpractice claims vary considerably. Some examples include
improper diagnosis, delayed diagnosis, improper care, negligence in
performing surgical procedures, medication errors, failure to obtain the
patient's informed consent, and abandonment of the patient. |
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Why You Need an Experienced
Medical Malpractice Lawyer |
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| Medical malpractice claims are complex. You
need an experienced medical malpractice lawyer who is familiar with
these complexities. If you or a loved one has been the victim of
medical malpractice, give us a call or send us an email. We are
here to help. |
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| We help clients across the
country to obtain compensation for losses caused by healthcare provider
negligence. We handle all types of medical malpractice claims, not just
those listed on this page. If you would like us to review your
case at no charge, please call us or fill out the form above. |
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