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Aldous \ Walker has earned a reputation as a respected civil trial practice, and a record of success in a range of personal injury and wrongful death cases. While every case has its unique challenges, few are as complex as those involving medical malpractice.
With the month of July being Medical Malpractice Month, our legal team would like to show our support for promoting awareness, transparency, and a greater understanding of medical negligence.
NMMAA & Medical Malpractice Awareness Month
Medical Malpractice Month is organized by the National Medical Malpractice Advocacy Association (NMMAA), a non-partisan civil rights organization committed to patient advocacy and higher quality care nationwide.
The mission’s primary objective is to reduce high rates of malpractice in health care, as well as high rates of unreported claims – a problem which allows careless providers and medical professionals to evade accountability, and patients to continually suffer harms for which they go uncompensated. As the NMMAA notes, medical malpractice accounts for:
- More than 440,000 patient deaths each year;
- Millions of preventable injuries, illnesses, and health complications;
- Roughly 1,200 deaths each day.
With statistics like these, the NMMAA focuses on real solutions – primarily through holding doctors, hospitals, and other providers accountable for careless mistakes, negligence, and failures to meet accepted standards of their profession. NMMAA works to achieve this through various education, awareness, and advocacy efforts.
You can learn more about Medical Malpractice Month, find helpful resources, and see how you can get involved in patient advocacy efforts on the NMMAA website.
So What is Medical Malpractice?
So what exactly does medical malpractice look like? Unfortunately, no answer can suffice; it truly depends on the facts and circumstances surrounding a case. For example, medical malpractice may involve:
- Medication errors
- Emergency room errors
- Surgical malpractice
- Misdiagnosis / failure to diagnose
- Anesthesia errors
- Preventable birth injuries
Generally, asking whether the treating provider in question acted in a manner that any reasonably skilled and experienced professional would have acted under the same or similar circumstances is a good place to start understanding whether you may have a potential claim.
That’s because there are complex concepts at work, often multiple medical professionals involved in a patient’s care, and inherent risks to any treatment or surgery – which means not every adverse outcome or complication was preventable or the result of negligence.
Given the challenges of litigating medical malpractice cases, it is vital for victims to work with skilled attorneys who can help determine their rights and options, and assist in any needed investigations, collaboration with medical experts, and construction of strong and convicting claims.
A History of Fighting for Patients and Families
As a firm that represents injured patients and families, we know medical malpractice can cause permanent and profound physical, financial, and emotional suffering.
Though we want it to be clear these claims are highly technical and highly fact-specific, we also want patients to know that medical professionals have legal obligations to meet their “duty of care,” and that they can be held accountable when they fail to do so. That’s precisely what the NMMAA wants to stress during Medical Malpractice Month.
If you have questions about medical malpractice or a potential case, contact Aldous / Walker. Our firm has handled a number of high-profile cases involving medical negligence, and Founding Attorney Charla Aldous has twice been named “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers for Medical Malpractice. We have what it takes to protect patients’ rights.
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