26 Nov Half of Medical Malpractice Payments from Treatment Outside Hospital
According to a study of the National Practitioner Data Bank, approximately 1/2 of medical malpractice payments are awarded to patients who received care outside of a hospital. While the common perception of medical malpractice may involve a botched surgery or negligent care delivered in an emergency room or hospital, this study shows that a clinic, urgent care facility or other healthcare provider facility is also a place where patients are at risk for being victims of medical negligence.
Outpatient Care
According to the author of the study, Doctor Tara Bishop, the findings were not expected. The study took into account malpractice claims filed between 2005 and 2009 where a payment was made out to the victim. According to these numbers, there is virtually no difference between the amount of such claims that originate in a hospital setting and those that originate in a clinic setting or some sort of outpatient setting.
Advances in medical care have allowed doctors to offer even complex services in the context of an outpatient setting. This could, perhaps, be contributing to the fact that there seem to be equal chances of having a medical malpractice claim paid out over an incident in the hospital or outside of it.
Be Careful
Many medical negligence claims – approximately 50 percent of them, in fact – have to do with failure to diagnose. Many people who go to the doctor today find themselves receiving a much more rushed form of care than they would be used to if they're old enough to remember when medical care was not so difficult to come by. Urgent care centers, clinics and other settings are frequently used to deliver care these days and, in those situations, it is possible that doctors may overlook conditions that need to be tested further, putting the patient at risk of life and limb.
If you believe you have been the victim of medical negligence of some sort, whether it was in the hospital, clinic or anywhere else, be sure you speak to an attorney about the matter. There are limitations on how long you have to act after such an incident if you want to file a lawsuit. Therefore, speaking to an attorney soon is the best way to ensure that you get to exercise your right to seek compensation if you have been injured by a negligent medical practitioner, no matter what setting the injury occurred in.
RASANSKY LAW FIRM
2525 McKinnon Street
Dallas, Texas 75201
877-659-1620
1-877-659-1620
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