Medical malpractice occurs where a medical practitioner acts in a negligent manner when treating a medical condition. Malpractice can occur from an action taken by the medical practitioner, or by the failure to take a medically appropriate action. Examples of medical malpractice include:
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Failure to Diagnose, or The Misdiagnosis of a disease or medical condition
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Failure to provide appropriate treatment for a medical condition
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Erroneous Results From The Lab
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Unreasonable delay in treating a diagnosed medical condition
Medical Malpractice may be caused by doctors, hospitals, pharmaceuticals, or by performing operations on the wrong body part, failure to properly diagnose a condition or situation.
The laws and rules governing malpractice lawsuits in each state can vary significantly.
Medical Malpractice is a serious issue in our hospitals and is a leading cause of wrongful death.
Over 225,000 people die from medical malpractice related injuries in a single year. A US Department of Justice report in 2007 noted that the number of pay outs stemming from a survey of medical malpractice cases increased 40%.
Even more alarming, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies said medication errors and malpractice potentially killed or harmed one and half million Americans in 2006 alone.
For families and loved ones, wrongful death of their loved one is the ultimate statistic showing the horrors of medical malpractice.
