The beautiful San Fernando Valley encompasses approximately 260 square miles in one of California's most scenic areas. Although the majority of San Fernando Valley lies within the city boundaries of Los Angeles, it is also the location of Glendale, Burbank, San Fernando, Hidden Hills, Calabasas and many other towns. In the midst of such natural serenity, the pain and suffering that can be caused by medical malpractice seems out of place. However, every year, many residents of San Fernando Valley receive personal injuries caused by a trusted medical professional's negligence or error.
What Is Medical Malpractice?
Patients place their confidence and trust in medical professionals, and the consequences can be dire …show more content…
For example, a physician might issue a prescription containing an ingredient to which the patient has a known allergy or fail to recognize that a symptom signifies a serious illness. Birth injuries, anesthesia errors and surgical errors may also be cases of medical malpractice.
Facts About Medical Malpractice
• Medical negligence is the third leading cause of death in America, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.
• Medical practitioners spend $6.4 billion on malpractice insurance in 2000, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. The Institute of Medicine estimates that malpractice costs society three to five times that amount.
• Between September 1990 and September 2002, 54 percent of all malpractice payouts involved a mere 5 percent of the nation's doctors, according to the National Practitioner Data Bank.
• The National Practitioner Data Bank also reported that during the same period, only 8 percent of doctors with two or more malpractice payouts and 17 percent of doctors with five or more payouts had been disciplined by their state medical …show more content…
Hospitals, radiologists, medical assistants, nurses or any other professional or institution charged with caring for or treating a patient can commit malpractice. However, the standard of care to which each group is held depends on the standard of care within their specialty, profession or industry.
• Approximately one-third of the nation's hospital patients experienced an adverse event, and 7 percent suffered permanent injury or death as a result, according to a study conducted by "Health Affairs" in 2011.
Common Examples of Medical Malpractice
It is impossible to list every possible example of medical malpractice. The following list includes the most common examples.
Physician Malpractice
• Misdiagnosis of a patient's injury or illness
• Failure to refer patient to a specialist in a timely manner
• Prescription dosage errors
• Unsanitary examination rooms that lead to bacterial infection
• Failure to warn patient of risks that his or her condition poses to third parties
• Patient abandonment
Surgical Malpractice
• Unnecessary surgery
• Failure to identify surgical complication
• Incorrect methods used to stop