Questioning Medical Care Can Be Difficult

Having represented clients who suffered from medical and nursing malpractice for over 40 years, we faithfully understand the frustration and aggravation caused by malpractice pain and suffering (which could have and should have been avoided only if the medical provider had just done what he/she was “supposed to have done”). If you believe you have suffered from medical malpractice, questions such as “where do I turn” or “what am I supposed to do” are natural and can be intimidating. So, let us help you decipher both the emotional and legal aspects of a medical malpractice case.

First of all, let’s acknowledge that thinking anything negative about your doctor can be very hard. Most of our experience is that we should have full confidence in our medical community and naturally your doctor enjoys a relationship of trust with you. For the most part, the bonds of this type of relationship remain unbroken and doctors throughout this country do wonderful work! So, it’s difficult to imagine (because of your personal involvement with the person caring for you) that they could, by carelessness, needlessly hurt you by their oversight or mistakes.

However, without doubt, medical malpractice does happen. In fact, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in the U.S. (this cause of death falls immediately behind heart disease and cancer). So, doctors and nurses are, very much, human. They can be flawed individuals and make errors. Thankfully, these mistakes are rare, but obviously they do happen.

Regrettably, many patients who suffer from medical malpractice do not consider or pursue a valid claim for personal injuries for all sorts of reasons, such as:

• I don’t want to think ill of my doctor;
• I’m worried about my future care;
• I don’t want to drive up the cost of medical care, etc.

What many patients suffering from malpractice fail to consider and understand, however, is that medical providers carry insurance to financially safeguard both the patient and the medical provider for this exact type of medical malpractice injury. So, if you have a legitimate medical malpractice claim, there should be absolutely no shame in making a claim with the very same insurance carrier who charged and collected premiums to cover this exact scenario. Frankly, covering the cost of malpractice injury is what the insurance companies are supposed to do and nobody should “guilt you” into thinking otherwise!