There’s no doubt that attorneys play an important role in cases involving bankruptcy, patent law and personal injury. That’s even more true in cases involving medical malpractice.
Quite simply, medical malpractice occurs when a health care professional such as a doctor causes injuries or damage to a patient either by negligence or omission. In terms of negligence, it can lead to false diagnoses, errors in treatment plans and aftercare as well as unnecessary surgery. Essentially, what’s considered surgical malpractice is when an action is taken that doesn’t fall in line with the accepted standards of care that are established by law.
You may not think there’s much danger in visiting a hospital, but it’s estimated that as many as 20% of all surgeries performed today are unnecessary. Studies have shown that there are two big reasons why doctors across the United States continue to perform useless or unnecessary surgery:
- Most if not all doctors have gone to school for many years to learn how to do surgery. That’s what they’ve been trained to do, so that’s what they know.
- Many doctors feel incentivized—either financially or for notoriety—to perform surgery.
It’s estimated that there are 48 million surgical procedures performed annually. It should be noted that millions of these surgeries are important and they save lives. But the harsh reality is that more millions of them are useless and end up doing more harm than good. There are approximately 20,000 malpractice claims filed every year and unnecessary surgery can have lasting effects including:
- Damage to internal organs
- Infections
- Hemorrhaging
- Errors with anesthesia
- Chronic pain
- An inability to return to daily activities like work
Bottom line: if a patient suffers an injury as a result of a useless surgical procedure, they may be able to move forward with a medical malpractice claim or a lawsuit. The key is being able to prove unequivocally that the surgeon in question misrepresented the necessity of the procedure, essentially convincing them that surgery was the only option. Many times with surgery, there are non-surgical options available—such as pain management plans—that would have worked just as well.
So what do you do if you’ve had unnecessary surgery performed and you’re now suffering as a result? The best move is to get ahold of a medical malpractice law firm and get set up with a law right away. It doesn’t matter if you’re dealing with medical malpractice or personal injury, anytime you pursue legal action, it’s good to have a lawyer in your corner.
If you think you’ve got a home run case for medical malpractice. Don’t hesitate to contact a lawyer. With a lawyer, you’ll get the following benefits:
- Experience: Perhaps the biggest benefit any lawyer can give a client is experience. With medical malpractice cases, lawyers have likely seen dozens of cases and know exactly what steps to take to make sure a client gets a fair settlement. They know how to negotiate and give clients much-needed advice on what they should or shouldn’t say during legal proceedings.
- No mistakes: Another great thing about reputable lawyers is that even if they’ve been involved with dozens of medical malpractice cases in the past, they won’t overlook any details—however small—in your case, which is great for your piece of mind.
- Paperwork: Any kind of lawsuit and claim usually means there’s a lot of paperwork to file and review. A lawyer will know just what paperwork you need to fill out and when and how to file it so you can move ahead with your case.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of surgical malpractice or any kind of medical malpractice, get legal representation right away. You can’t move forward with legal action by yourself and you need a lawyer for support. With a lawyer by your side, you’ll be able to present a strong claim or case (if it goes to trial). Bottom line: if you’re suffering as a result of negligence, there’a good chance you’re entitled to compensation to cover expenses, so don’t sit around and suffer, take action while you can.