How to Check If Your Doctor Has Been Sued for Malpractice

Why You Should Care About Medical Malpractice
It’s sensible to research your new doctor’s background, but you should also specifically search for any history of medical malpractice. After all, you’d want to know if the person’s your about to hire to care for your most important possession – your own body – is able to do so with the care and attention it deserves. You’d want to know if they’ve been negligent or have harmed someone else, as well as why they did it and what happened afterward. In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “an ounce of protection is worth a pound of cure.”The 5 Elements of Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice, more formally known as medical negligence, is an:- action or failure to appropriately act,
- by a physician
- during the course of treating a patient.
- is not a normal practice in the medical community (below the standard of care) and
- causes injury.
Medical Malpractice is More Prevalent Than You Think
In 2014, plaintiffs were paid an estimated $200 million for medical negligence claims in Florida alone, making the state #7 in medical malpractice compensation. Thus, it’s entirely possible your new doctor is one of the defendants who had compensated a patient. According to Forbes, 75% of doctors in low-risk specialties (like family practice and pediatrics) have been sued for medical malpractice. For those in high-risk specialties (like obstetrics and gynecology and emergency medicine), the number skyrockets to 99%. What does that mean for you? Many doctors have faced at least one malpractice claim. However, the devil is in the details, and these you can find out from doing some more research on the claim.How to Learn About Your Doctor’s Medical Malpractice Claims
