Skilled And Knowledgeable Medical Malpractice Attorneys
When a patient visits a doctor’s office or hospital, they usually do it because they are experiencing an illness, suffering from an injury, or undergoing treatment for a serious physical problem. During that visit or treatment, the patient places his or her health, and sometimes their life, in the hands of a physician or surgeon trained to administer treatment and healthcare. Unfortunately, sometimes that trust is misplaced or mistakes happen. Recent studies conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality revealed that the majority of medical errors are preventable. According to a recent Healthgrades study, preventable medical errors accounted for an average of 195,000 hospital deaths in each of the years 2000, 2001, and 2002.
Many factors contribute to healthcare errors and medical malpractice. Some of the factors include lack of knowledge, inattention to detail, over extended schedules by seeing too many patients to devote enough time to each patient, poor communication, illegible handwriting, improper documentation, inadequate nurse to patient ratios, hiring incompetent staff, and carelessness. Each of theses factors are potential causes of medical malpractice and injury.
Medical malpractice happens when a doctor, hospital, nurse, or medical staff, fall below the accepted standard of medical care acknowledged in the medical community. The negligence (falling below the accepted standard of care) must result in damage or injury to the patient. NOT ALL MEDICAL ERRORS ARE THE RESULT OF MEDICAL MALPRACTICE. NOT ALL MEDICAL MISTAKES CAUSE A COMPENSABLE INJURY. That is why you need a skilled and knowledgeable medical malpractice attorney to review your potential case. Medical malpractice cases are extremely expensive. They often require numerous medical experts and consultants. There is a very short time for an investigation and preparation of the case. In most instances in Nevada, the statute of limitations for a medical malpractice claim is one year. In many cases, although medical malpractice happened, the patient is not harmed to such an extent that the cost of a medical malpractice case can be justified. In other cases, breach of the standard of care or causation cannot be proved. As a result, only a very limited number of the most serious potential medical malpractice cases justify the filing of a lawsuit.
If you believe that you or a loved one is the victim of medical malpractice your safety and health must always be your first priority. If you or a loved one has been injured by a doctor’s negligence or mistake, report the problem to your doctor immediately. Seek immediate medical treatment for that problem from a different physician. If you identify your problem early enough, another physician may be able to correct or improve the damage from the medical error.
When looking for another doctor to treat or correct a medical error, seek out an appropriate specialist who can treat or correct your specific injury. You must provide that doctor with your full medical history, including the circumstances surrounding the medical error. Medical records are the most important documents when determining a doctor’s error. Make sure you give your new doctor enough correct and thorough information to ensure that the medical charts accurately record your state of health following the medical error. To ensure that your new doctor fully understands your present condition and that the facts are properly recorded, give the new doctor the full picture. Explain what your health was like before, during, and after the procedure or treatment involving the medical error or malpractice. Make sure the new doctor fully understands your current condition. Provide or give the new doctor access to all of your medical records that will impact his or her diagnosis and treatment of you.
Once you suspect medical malpractice, immediately contact a knowledgeable medical malpractice attorney. Nevada law only gives you one year to resolve your claim or file a lawsuit for medical negligence. In order to file a lawsuit alleging medical negligence, your attorney must obtain an affidavit from an expert stating that your doctor fell below the acceptable standard of care, and that the violation of the standard of care caused you injury. You have very little time for the investigation, preparation and filing of a medical malpractice lawsuit in Nevada. You cannot afford to delay.
At Murphy & Murphy we will listen to your concerns. We will provide you with a comprehensive evaluation of your potential malpractice claim. We will tell you whether we believe that you were the victim of medical malpractice and whether your injury warrants the filing of a lawsuit. Contact us today for your free case evaluation.
