Medical malpractice can result in all kinds of unforeseen costs as well as emotional and physical changes that make a major impact on your health and lifestyle. As a result, it’s important that you understand the steps to take if you think that you’ve been part of a medical malpractice case.
Doing the right things in the right order can make a big difference when it comes to ultimately receiving a settlement for your damages, but you need to be able to prove that malpractice occurred in the first place in order to do so. Here are the first steps you should take if you think you may qualify for a medical malpractice lawsuit.
Talk to an Expert
Medical malpractice cases can be difficult to prove, so it’s always a good idea to talk to someone who specializes in healthcare malpractice law. Howard Fensterman is one such lawyer, who also dabbles in philanthropy and also blogs about minerals and geology.
Mr. Fensterman brings a wealth of experience to the topic of medical malpractice and a lawyer like him can help you gain a better perspective about the facts of your case from a legal standpoint. You may also want to see another medical professional and get their opinion about what happened and get your new symptoms or complications properly diagnosed.
Speak With Your Doctor
After you’ve talked with a legal expert, it’s a good idea to reach back out to your doctor to talk to them about what went wrong. It’s never a bad idea to do this prior to filing a claim since you may be able to get the doctor to take corrective actions free of charge.
Speaking with your doctor can also help you figure out why they took the actions they did in providing your medical care. This information can be important if and when you do wind up in court.
Talk to the Licensing Board
If your doctor isn’t able to address all of your concerns, it may be a good idea to find out what licensing board they report to and discuss the situation with the board. Although they won’t be able to make your doctor pay for your complications if the doctor really did do something wrong they can give them a warning.
This also helps to create a paper trail for you should you decide to take the doctor to court. In some situations, the warning from the medical licensing board could end up causing the doctor to reconsider going with you to court and getting attorneys involved.
Learn More About the Statute of Limitations
One crucial aspect of any medical malpractice case is understanding the timeframe in which you’re working. Different states have different statutes of limitation, and you want to make sure that you are acting in the appropriate amount of time if you want to be sure that your claim is able to be filed. This topic is also worth discussing with the legal counsel you seek out in order to determine the best course of action.
Nobody wants to face a medical malpractice suit, especially if you’re the plaintiff. Medical malpractice cases can be tricky and time-intensive, and also require expert witnesses in order to establish that proper and reasonable protocol was not followed by the doctor in question.
That being said, botched surgeries can present you with expensive side effects that require additional medical treatment. If you need to investigate different insurance plans and how they might cover you while you wait to learn about a settlement, Easy Medicare can help you compare quotes.
By looking at different Medicare insurance quotes, you can more properly determine which insurance company or federal Medicare program is right for you and your situation. Best of all, many of these insurance costs can be reimbursed or paid out in your malpractice settlement.
