Medical professionals and healthcare providers in Philadelphia are legally responsible for providing an acceptable standard of care to their patients. And yet, some patients still end up injured by preventable medical mistakes that never should have happened. This is commonly known as “medical negligence” or “medical malpractice.”
The Philadelphia medical malpractice attorneys at Philadelphia Injury Lawyers P.C. are dedicated to helping the victims of negligent medical care receive the compensation they are entitled to under Pennsylvania law. If you think you are a victim of medical malpractice, call us today or reach out to us through our online contact form.
Medical Malpractice Claims in Philadelphia: What Victims Need to Know
Our Philadelphia personal injury lawyers understand what victims face in the aftermath of medical malpractice. We’ve provided this guide that explains medical negligence, claims, liability, time limits, and more:
- Are You a Victim of Medical Malpractice?
- How Medical Malpractice Claims Hold Philadelphia Doctors and Hospitals Accountable?
- Do You Have a Valid Medical Malpractice Claim?
- Who Can Be Held Liable in a Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Claim?
- Why Talk to a Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Lawyer?
- Why Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Claims Are Complex?
- How a Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Lawyer Can Help You?
- What Your Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Attorneys Need to Build Your Case?
- Steps Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Lawyers Take to Handle Your Claim
- Cases Our Medical Malpractice Lawyers In Philadelphia Represent
- Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Lawyer FAQs
- Get a Free Consultation With Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Lawyers
Are You a Victim of Medical Malpractice?
Healthcare professionals and institutions, including hospitals, may not always be forthcoming about errors or mistakes made during the course of treatment. This lack of transparency can leave patients uncertain about whether they have been the victim of medical negligence. If you aren’t sure if you were a victim of malpractice, a lawyer can answer your questions.
If you think a doctor or healthcare center’s mistake caused your injury or condition, seek legal counsel. We can help you understand the legal process, assess the merits of your claim, and guide you through the complex legal landscape of medical malpractice litigation.
How Medical Malpractice Claims Hold Philadelphia Doctors and Hospitals Accountable
Medical malpractice is rarely a simple accident. It often occurs because a doctor failed to follow established protocols or neglected to perform a procedure in the manner they were trained to do. While medical negligence is not typically a conscious act, it can have a profound and lasting impact on the lives of patients and their families.
Holding healthcare providers accountable for their actions is crucial in maintaining the integrity of the medical system and ensuring patient safety. When doctors or hospitals fail to meet the accepted standard of care, patients have the right to pursue a medical malpractice claim. These claims serve as a powerful tool for seeking justice for the harm caused by medical negligence.
Do You Have a Valid Medical Malpractice Claim?
To have a valid medical malpractice claim, there are four factors that must be established:
- Duty of care: You must establish the healthcare provider owed you a duty of care, which is inherent in any doctor-patient relationship.
- Breach of duty: You must demonstrate that the healthcare provider did not adhere to their duty of care by acting in a way that deviated from the accepted standard of care in their medical specialty. This means that they failed to act as a reasonable professional would have in a similar situation.
- Causation: You must prove that the healthcare provider’s negligence caused your injury or harm. This can be challenging, as many medical conditions can have multiple contributing factors.
- Damages: You must have suffered actual damages, such as medical costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, or disability, as a result of the healthcare provider’s negligence.
If you believe that you or a loved one may have been a victim of medical malpractice, consult with a Philadelphia medical malpractice attorney. We can review your case, gather evidence, and help determine if you have a valid claim worth pursuing.
Who Can Be Held Liable in a Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Claim?
In a medical malpractice case, it can be hard to know who is responsible for your compensation. Do you sue the doctor? The hospital? The practice? The answer is, it may be any or all of these parties. Here are some of the other potentially liable parties in a medical malpractice claim:
- Doctors who failed to diagnose or treat an injury or condition the way another reasonable medical professional would have managed the same situation
- Specialists who failed to require the necessary follow-up tests to diagnose a disease like cancer or another serious condition
- Obstetricians who failed to detect the symptoms of a complex delivery, leading to birth injuries or endangering the lives of the mother and baby
- Pharmacists who failed to dispense the prescribed medicines or correct dosage
- Laboratories that failed to provide correct lab results, leading to patient’s misdiagnosis or undergoing an unnecessary procedure
The list may also include, but is not limited to, emergency teams, dentists, cosmetic surgeons, birthing centers, midwives, and hospital facilities.
Why Talk to a Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Lawyer
A Philadelphia medical malpractice attorney can take your case and build a strong argument on your behalf with the required discretion. By hiring a law firm, you will have the support of legal professionals who understand the details related to medical malpractice.
The best thing you can do to secure your future is to hire an attorney committed to securing full and fair settlements for their clients. An experienced Philadelphia medical malpractice attorney is someone who can negotiate with insurers and fight for the full compensation you deserve so you can get the care you need and replace income lost because of your injuries.
Why Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Claims Are Complex
Medical malpractice cases are among the most complex legal matters you can face in a court of law. To succeed in a medical malpractice claim, you must be able to prove that you have suffered injuries due to a doctor’s negligence. Medical cases cannot be won based on dissatisfaction alone. For example, you cannot sue a doctor for prescribing the wrong medication if you did not experience any adverse effects.
Proving medical malpractice requires a thorough understanding of both medical and legal principles. Reach out to the team at Philadelphia Injury Lawyers P.C. by calling us or contact us online to learn more about the laws as they apply to your case.
How a Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Lawyer Can Help You
Are you wondering what the benefits are to hiring a medical malpractice attorney? Here are some of the ways we can help if you were a victim of medical malpractice in Philadelphia:
We Handle Every Stage of Your Case
Filing a medical malpractice claim involves following specific legal protocols. It can be easy to make mistakes that can delay the process if you’ve never handled a case before. Malpractice attorneys are experienced in this area of the law. We understand your rights in Philadelphia – and the tricks insurance companies may try to use to violate your right to compensation.
We Help You Focus On Recovering
After an act of medical malpractice, you may be struggling to recover. If your loved one passed away after an act of medical negligence, you may also be struggling with grief. The weight of dealing with filing a claim and negotiating with insurers may be difficult to cope with.
Our medical malpractice lawyers in Philadelphia take the weight of the legal case off of your shoulders by handling every aspect of your claim. We handle all communications with the at-fault parties and their insurance companies and fight for your fair compensation.
We Put Our Resources Behind Your Case
When you choose us for your Philadelphia medical malpractice claim, you get access to our network of connections. We work with experts in the medical field who can provide expert opinions on your case. Their insights can help judges and juries understand how your treatment was negligent and the value of your damages.
What Your Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Attorneys Need to Build Your Case
Your Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyers will need information in order to build your case. Our team can help retrieve these documents as we build your case. These are some of the most important documents we may use for evidence:
- Your medical records: Your medical records will provide crucial information like the times doctors and nurses visited you as well as the times you received treatments.
- Your mental health records: If you are being treated for PTSD, depression, anxiety, or another mental health condition related to the accident, your injury lawyer can factor that into the damages we pursue.
- Your prescription information: Keep the receipts and the bottles of any prescription medication you are taking for your injuries. This may be an important piece of evidence if you have been wrongfully diagnosed.
- Your medical bills: Calculating your medical costs is an important part of determining the value of your claim. This includes your current bills and future medical costs. You can also recover damages for the cost of traveling to medical appointments, so save these receipts.
- Your lost wages: Pay stubs, letters from human resources, and other evidence can help us verify how much income you lost due to the act of medical negligence. We estimate current and future losses if you can no longer work.
Steps Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Lawyers Take to Handle Your Claim
If you are working with a Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyer, we will take care of a lot of things on your behalf. Here are some of the burdens we will take over for you:
We Handle the Paperwork
Think for a moment about how many forms you have to fill when you seek medical assistance. Now think for a moment about how many forms you have to fill when you handle a legal case. If the number seems endless, it’s because there is a lot that needs to be handled on this front. A medical malpractice legal team has the resources to handle all the paperwork of your case.
We Calculate the Value of Your Claim
A lot of people make the mistake of undervaluing their medical malpractice claim. They may consider the short-term losses and expenses they experienced but fail to consider the long-term medical care and treatment they’ll need, or they may not consider how their injuries or condition will affect their earning ability in the future. We understand how to accurately calculate your damages and fight for a full settlement or verdict.
We Negotiate a Settlement On Your Behalf
We aggressively negotiate to get our clients fair settlements. And if negotiations fail, we aren’t afraid to take your medical malpractice claim to trial.
Cases Our Medical Malpractice Lawyers In Philadelphia Represent
Some common examples of situations that lead to medical malpractice claims in Philadelphia include:
- Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis
- Surgical errors
- Failure to diagnose
- Medication errors
- Anesthesia errors
- Birth injuries
- Failure to obtain informed consent
Some of the most common medical negligence occurrences happen because of missed diagnoses. There are also birth injuries, infections, wrong prescriptions, mishandling of anesthesia, and more. Defective medical products can also be a cause for a claim.
Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Lawyer FAQs
What Questions Should You Ask a Medical Malpractice Attorney?
Here’s a short list of some of the questions you should ask a medical malpractice attorney:
- What experience do you have in handling medical malpractice cases?
- Have you handled cases similar to mine, and what were the outcomes?
- How do you assess the strengths and weaknesses of my case?
- What is the statute of limitations for filing a medical malpractice claim in Philadelphia?
- What are the potential challenges or obstacles in pursuing my case?
- How long do you expect my case to take, and what is the timeline for the legal process?
- What are your fees, and how do you structure your billing (e.g., contingency fee, hourly rate)?
- Who will be working on my case, and how will we communicate throughout the process?
- What resources do you have access to, such as medical experts or investigators?
- What are the potential outcomes of my case, and what compensation can I expect to receive?
Write these questions and any other questions you have down so you don’t forget to ask your Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyer anything important.
Are Medical Malpractices in Pennsylvania Subject to a Statute of Limitations?
Medical malpractice cases in Pennsylvania are generally subject to a statute of limitations of two years. There are some limited exceptions, such as cases in which the victim of medical negligence is a minor. Reaching out to a medical malpractice attorney before the time limit is up is crucial, because once time is up, you forfeit your right to compensation.
Does Signing a Consent Form Void My Right to a Claim For Medical Malpractice?
No. Most of these forms give consent to the medical professional to act in your best interests and treat you accordingly regarding your condition. None of these forms take away your right to ask for compensation in cases of medical malpractice in Philadelphia.
Get a Free Consultation With Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Lawyers
If you or a loved one has suffered due to medical negligence, seek the guidance of experienced Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyers. Don’t navigate the complex world of medical malpractice claims alone. Contact Philadelphia Injury Lawyers P.C. today or fill out our online contact form to get a free consultation.
We will review your case and answer your questions. Let us put our experience and resources to work for you and help you hold negligent healthcare providers accountable. Take the first step towards justice and call us now.
