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Medical malpractice is when a doctor, healthcare professional, or medical facility causes harm to a patient through gross negligence or omission of pertinent information. Acts that directly result in a misdiagnosis or errors in treatment, aftercare, or management can be labeled as medical malpractice and should be forwarded to a legal firm for proper representation. Nevertheless, it is important to know basic characteristics of a malpractice casebefore proceeding with any legal action. These are as follows:
Violating standard of care. While this may vary from state to state, federal law states that there are certain medical standards that all professionals in this industry must follow. Patients have the right to the best possible care available in the area.
Negligence caused an injury. Patients must prove that they sustained an injury because of the direct actions of a health provider. It is not enough that a doctor or health facility provided an unfavorable outcome.
The injuries resulted in significant damages. Medical malpractice cases are typically very expensive. This is because they require several witnesses to come forward and discuss the actions of the specific doctor or health facility. Furthermore, the case is usually reviewed by other doctors who will state their expert opinion. Patients should provide evidence that the doctor’s specific actions directly caused any disability, impairment, loss of income, or any form of suffering or hardship.
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Chief medical officers of hospitals such as Dr. George Northrop are usually called by legal firms to review malpractice cases and determine their validity. A great number of cases do not proceed because they lack the aforementioned characteristics, which further increases the stress to the injured patient. It is important patients gather all pertinent information regarding their experience so that justice can be served.
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Dr. George Northrop was once Danbury Hospital’s academic hospitalist and Obsidium Group’s medical-legal consultant. Today, he serves as chief medical officer at Sheikh Khalifa General Hospital in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. For more information about Dr. Northrop career as a physician and hospital executive, visit this LinkedIn page.
