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Massachusetts Medical Malpractice Lawyer

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Massachusetts medical malpractice lawyers are called upon whenever accidents take place in health care facilities due to error in procedure or omission of protocol. A whole slew of negligent health care actions can be labeled as medical malpractice, ranging from not upholding acceptable medical norms, like constantly monitoring a patient and their medications and devices, to something as careless as leaving operational tools in a patient after surgery. That is not to say that every time something goes wrong in a hospital room or on an operating table that it is necessarily malpractice. All that is encompassed under the term malpractice is tricky, and the laws determining negligence, examining the standard norms, determining what was and wasn't adhered to, etc. can be very complex, making the need for a qualified Massachusetts malpractice attorney essential to any medical claim.

Medical malpractice law is a form of tort law designed to offer a remedy to a patient who suffers an injury from an act or omission by a health care provider. Moreover, it must be proven that the act or omission deviated from the accepted standards of practice in the medical community. Not surprisingly, those standards and the way they are evaluated and measured are constantly changing. An experienced Massachusetts medical malpractice lawyer will be up-to-date and knowledgeable on all aspects of medical malpractice, and they are experts at applying that knowledge to every case that comes through their firm.

Seventy-three percent of settled medical malpractice cases involved a medical error, and a recent study revealed that an average of 195,000 deaths in hospitals from 2000 to 2002 in the U.S. occurred because of potentially preventable medical errors. Medical errors harm about 1.5 million people every year, and 400,000 preventable drug-related injuries occur in hospitals every year. That number is in addition to the 800,000 that occur in long-term care settings and 530,000 in outpatient clinics.

Medical malpractice may not be evident immediately following a hospital visit. For example, when a patient has a medical tool left inside of them after a surgery, it may not be detectable until serious damage is done to important organs. In this case, a patient may not complain about the pains right after a medical procedure, but that does not mean the health care provider that completed the procedure is off the hook medical malpractice lawyers will be able to thoroughly investigate the injuries through examination of medical documents and hold the negligent party responsible.

If you think you may be a victim of medical malpractice, you should contact a medical malpractice lawyer immediately. Doing so will allow you to discover whether you have a credible case or not. Family members of medical patients should not be hesitant to investigate malpractice related to loved ones, either. In fact, many medical malpractice cases stem from elder-care providers ignoring the mentally and emotionally ill to the point where negligence is evident. The affects of not properly attending to the elderly range from increased sickness to wrongful death.

In Massachusetts, a medical malpractice suit for a death or an injury has to be filed within three years after the incident was discovered, but no longer than seven years after the act occurred, except when dealing with foreign object actions. The amount of damages that can be awarded in the Bay State caps at $500,000 for pain and suffering, embarrassment, loss of companionship, and other items of general damages.

A medical malpractice lawyer should also be checked out thoroughly to ensure that he or she is properly accredited. If the medical malpractice attorney has a good track record for winning cases, then further consideration should be given. Many firms will proudly detail their history of medical malpractice cases, including who they represented, the outcome of the case, and the compensation that was awarded. Massachusetts medical malpractice lawyers can be found online and in local directories.