Results for Medical Malpractice Defense

It is always tragic when a newborn sustains a birth injury or is diagnosed with a birth defect. Depending on the nature and severity of the infant’s condition, parents may incur millions of dollars in costs due to healthcare, mobility aids, medical equipment, and home care before the child has even reached preschool age.

Upon learning that a patient intends to sue you for medical malpractice, it is natural to imagine all the worst possible outcomes. In addition to worrying about your reputation, you may be concerned about losing your license to practice medicine or even losing your home and other assets. Although 80 percent of medical malpractice claims do not result in any kind of payout, 20 percent of these cases do result in compensation for the claimant, and monetary awards are often substantial. Therefore, even if the odds seem to be in your favor, you should turn to a medical malpractice defense attorney for help.

Most practicing physicians will face allegations of medical malpractice at some point in their careers. According to The New England Journal of Medicine, 75 percent of providers in low-risk specialties will face a claim by 65 years old, as will 99 percent of physicians in high-risk specialties such as neurosurgery and thoracic-cardiovascular surgery.

A brain injury can have lifelong repercussions that affect nearly every aspect of a person’s life. Some of the most common causes of brain damage include motor-vehicle collisions, sports injuries, falls, strokes, and drug abuse. Medical negligence can also cause brain damage—even when the procedure does not target the central nervous system.

A clavicle fracture, or broken collarbone, is a fairly minor birth injury that often happens during difficult vaginal deliveries. Although such fractures typically heal in a matter of weeks without any medical intervention, new parents often look for someone to blame for this complication.

Regardless of how much experience you have diagnosing and treating a particular condition, your patients ultimately have the final say. In most cases, people have the right to choose their scope of care, and their providers must respect this right. In order to make reasonable and relatively safe choices, though, patients must have some understanding of their options, as well as the advantages and potential side effects of each treatment modality. This is called informed consent, which is a legal concept that is often a point of contention in medical malpractice cases.

The operating room is a chaotic place. Even during routine procedures that pose few risks, surgeons are essentially racing against the clock to ensure they complete everything before the anesthesia has worn off or complications arise. Doctors need to be cautious of moving too fast in the OR, though, because rushing through a procedure can also cause complications. For example, surgeons who do not make precise incisions can puncture an organ or damage nearby nerves. Likewise, those who race to complete a procedure as quickly as possible—which is often necessary in emergency scenarios—can fail to account for every sponge, scalpel, towel, clamp, scope, or mask that their surgical team uses.

Practicing medicine is one of the most stressful professions in the modern world. Doctors may be different from police officers, soldiers, and construction workers in that their own lives are not at risk, but they must bear the burden of protecting others’ lives every single day. Unfortunately, since medicine is far from an exact science, healthcare providers are not always able to save their patients. Regardless, people expect a lot from their physicians, and when complications arise, malpractice lawsuits are likely. In one study originally published in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found that 7.4 percent of all practicing physicians faced at least one malpractice claim annually. Doctors may find it somewhat reassuring that approximately 78 percent of these claims do not result in payouts; however, just facing a suit can add a considerable amount of stress to an already overwhelming schedule.

Most people probably associate ultrasound scans with pregnant women who are eager to get a glimpse of their growing baby, but experienced providers know prenatal imaging is just one of the many uses of ultrasound technology. At the end of the day, sonography is a valuable diagnostic tool that helps doctors identify conditions affecting various organs throughout the body, including the heart, liver, spleen, gallbladder, pancreas, kidneys, bladder, uterus, ovaries, and testicles.

When a doctor prescribes a medication, it is reasonable for the patient to assume that the drug is going to help. At the very least, it should not cause any unexpected side effects if it is taken as directed. Unfortunately, medication mistakes happen all the time and can result in devastating complications. The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention defines medication errors as preventable events that may cause inappropriate drug use or lead to patient harm. Although many medication mistakes do not result in any lasting damage, some pharmaceutical errors can have tragic consequences. If you are being sued for allegedly making a prescription error, it is critical to start planning your defense immediately.