Medical malpractice remains one of the leading causes of death in the United States, third behind cancer and heart disease. There are many various different reasons medical malpractice occurs. Commonly cited issues include failing to diagnose or misdiagnosing an illness. This may cause delays in treatment, allowing a disease to progress, and lessening the possibility of a full recovery. Other commonly cited reasons include anesthesia errors, prescription errors, and surgical errors. Communication errors also make the top of the list. When doctor/patient communication breaks down, or staff fails to properly pass on information from one shift to the next, critical mistakes may be made.
However, a common thread running through a large majority of medical malpractice cases is that personal errors and mistakes made by physicians themselves are the root of many significant claims. While most doctors perform their duties admirably, studies show that a handful of "bad doctors" are repeat offenders, travelling from state-to-state providing sub-standard care. Being found guilty or negligent of medical malpractice in one state does not necessarily translate into losing your license to practice medicine. Further, even if you lose you license in one state, you may still be allowed practicing in another. Because national reporting is inconsistent, patients are not able to determine whether the doctor they're seeing today may have lost their license in a previous state.
Adding to this frightening reality, many "good" doctors may have a bad day - affected as many workers are by common issues such as fatigue and burn-out, overwork, substance abuse and errors in judgment. Unfortunately however, if your doctors has a bad day and makes a mistakes, the results may be catastrophic and last a lifetime.
For more information regarding any type of medical malpractice, please contact the dedicated Los Angeles medical malpractice lawyers at Boswick & Peterson, LLP for an immediate consultation.
