Medical Malpractice
Our Experience
At Needham Johnson, over the past 30 years, our attorneys have successfully handled hundreds of medical negligence cases involving virtually every aspect of medical care.
What is Medical Malpractice?
Medical malpractice occurs when a doctor, nurse or other licensed health care provider fails to treat a medical condition appropriately and, as a result, causes injury to a patient. Malpractice may occur through the action or inaction of the health care provider. A malpractice claim is not valid just because treatment was not successful or an unfavorable outcome resulted from treatment. There must be negligent treatment, or omission of treatment, by a healthcare provider that directly caused the injury, in order for malpractice to be proven.
An estimated 1.3 million injuries are caused by medical negligence each year, and over two-thirds of these are preventable with proper care. A recent study by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences estimated that as many as 98,000 patients die in hospitals each year as a result of preventable medical errors. However, only one in eight malpractice victims ever files a claim for compensation, according to the Harvard Medical Practice Study.
In many cases, the negative impact of the injuries that result from medical malpractice are felt not only by patients, but also by their families and other loved ones. At Needham Johnson, we work diligently for each and every client to compensate those who have been injured or lost a loved one as a result of tragic, preventable medical negligence.
Medical Malpractice Examples:
- Birth injury, brain damage or death caused by failure to timely deliver a baby
- Failure to perform medical. anesthesia or surgical procedures in a proper manner
- Failure to properly or timely diagnose a patient’s condition
- Administering the wrong treatment or medication
- Failure to order necessary tests or follow up on test results
- Failure to obtain informed consent from a patient for a surgical operation or other procedure
- Inappropriate discharge of a patient from a hospital or emergency room
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