As a patient under the care of a doctor, you assume that he or she is providing you with quality care. You believe the doctor diagnosed your condition correctly and is giving you the right treatment plan for your specific medical issue. When a care provider is negligent or reckless, it can lead to significant patient harm. This is medical malpractice, and it could be grounds to pursue financial compensation through a civil claim.
If you believe you are a victim of medical malpractice, you may be wondering what you should do next. What do you need to get better and move forward? How can you hold liable parties accountable? There are specific things you can do that will allow you to put a strong case together and fight for the justice you deserve.
What’s next?
Pursuing a medical malpractice claim is an option for those who have suffered harm because of the negligent or reckless actions of a doctor, nurse or other type of medical professional. It can happen because of a mistake, such as mixing up patient charts or operating on the wrong site. It may also happen when there is negligence, such as failing to provide a patient with adequate care. Victims who experience physical harm because of a medical mistake may take the following steps:
- First, it’s important to speak with the care provider you believe is responsible. This can help you understand what went wrong and what you need to address the problem.
- If you are not satisfied with the outcome of speaking with the doctor, you may benefit from speaking with the medical licensing board. The board can do certain things to discipline the doctor if necessary.
- After this, you can decide if you want to move forward with a medical malpractice claim. There is typically a limited amount of time to do this, so it’s prudent to move forward quickly.
- You may then want to seek an assessment of your medical issues to get documentation regarding how the medical malpractice negatively impacted your life.
You could receive a settlement offer from the insurance company, but before you accept, you may want to consider a few things. Medical malpractice cases are complex, and they can take a long time to litigate. Accepting an offer may actually be in your interests, but you would be wise to make sure you are getting an amount that reflects the true value of your case. This is why it is prudent to work with an experienced Texas attorney after suffering due to medical practice.