What should I do when I first discover medical malpractice?
On behalf of Jacqueline A. Scott & Associates posted in medical malpractice on Thursday, April 26, 2018.
Nobody likes to think of their medical care going wrong, yet there are times when you may find something went seriously amiss with your treatment. You took a mislabeled drug. Surgery was not correctly performed. Your condition was incorrectly diagnosed. If you know or suspect medical malpractice has occurred, what should your first move be? Some Louisiana residents may want to start the claims process immediately, but your health first and foremost should be your top priority.
Naturally, if the malpractice has put you in a potentially life threatening situation, you should get medical treatment at once. Do what you must to preserve your life and your health. Assuming that you are not in any immediate risk of death or health degradation, you may feel ready to start filing a claim. However, Findlaw recommends that you actually call your medical professional first. There are a number of reasons why calling up your doctor is a smart move.
For one thing, you may not fully understand what has happened to you. You need to get all the information on the procedure or treatment performed on you, how you should have been treated and where the treatment went wrong. In the process, your doctor may reveal that the malpractice can be corrected. Many medical providers provide corrective services to victims of malpractice, and in some cases charge nothing. You may find that receiving proper treatment for the malpractice is not very hard.
However, you should also pay attention to how long you actually have to file a claim. Some medical malpractice claims have time limits. If the claim is filed too late, you will not be able to receive damages. That makes it important to run through the initial steps as thoroughly and as timely as possible so that if your medical providers do not provide an acceptable solution, you can still file a claim in the appropriate time period.
This article is intended to educate readers on the topic of malpractice claims and is not to be taken as legal advice.