Medical Malpractice

Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare provider does not offer an acceptable standard of care to a patient.  When treatment of care falls below acceptable standards in the medical community, patients can suffer from injury and in some cases death.  Many medical malpractice cases involve medical error and claims can be filed as civil torts to be pursued in US Courts.

Standard care is when a patient becomes ill, injured or suffers from worsening conditions caused by a medical professional.  Examples of medical malpractice may include a mistake during childbirth, failure to diagnose cancer and failure to treat appendicitis.  These are just a few examples of medical malpractice known to have occurred.  In some cases, medical malpractice can be considered a criminal act.  If this is the case, authorities will take on the case, conduct an investigation, file charges and proceed with a trial or other legal proceedings.  When this occurs, further investigation needs to be completed to determine if any conditions of malice or intentional harm were present.

Many medical professionals obtain liability insurance policies.  These policies help offset the costs associated with court cases dealing with medical malpractice claims against them.  There are laws in place to protect patients from falling victim to medical malpractice.  However, the laws and qualifications that determine if an act is indeed medical malpractice may be difficult to understand and it may be necessary to hire an attorney to help navigate through the legal process.