MEDICAL MALPRACTICE
Perhaps no area of the law is as complicated as medical malpractice, and you need an experienced attorney to defend your rights. Doctors are not infallible, but malpractice can be hard to identify and even harder to litigate.
For every 100 medical mistakes, only 10 are discovered. Of those 10, only one ends in a successful medical malpractice lawsuit.
Very few attorneys handle medical malpractice cases. The expertise, connections to medical experts, dedicated staff, and legal reputation necessary for a successful outcome are rare.
An experienced attorney, backed by a team of experts, is essential for pursuing cases of medical malpractice.
That’s why Michael L. Hebert works with two tried-and-tested medical malpractice attorneys. Our team has connections to many practicing physicians who assist in evaluating potential medical errors. This approach provides a more comprehensive and in-depth assessment of every case, at no additional cost to the client.
We look at every aspect of your treatment, evaluating each step in the care you received. If a mistake was made we’ll defend your right to compensation.
Keep in mind that medical errors can occur in several different ways.
MISDIAGNOSIS – Failure to diagnose cancer is one of the most common forms, of medical malpractice. Radiographic results can be mis-read or mis-interpreted. Patients regularly see their primary care physician, dermatologist, gastroenterologist, internist and gynecologists. Subtle signs are often missed in routine exams. This delay in diagnosis and treatment can lead to a poor outcome that could have been prevented.
MEDICATION ERRORS – The wrong medication, an incorrect dosage, mis-labeled drugs, and improper charting can all lead to catastrophic outcomes. Not limited to hospitals, medication errors can also happen at your pharmacy.
SURGICAL ERRORS - Most commonly, this refers to technical errors by a surgeon. For instance, while performing surgery, a doctor might accidentally sever a blood vessel or damage an adjacent organ.
Fortunately, that’s relatively rare, and follow up care is where most errors occur. Hospital staff failing to follow post-operative procedures, improperly charting vital signs, failing to notice temperature spikes, uncontrolled bleeding, dislodged needles, or a drop in blood pressure is unfortunately common. And when patients emphatically state that something is wrong, they’re often ignored by hospital staff.
NURSING HOMES – Failing to turn a patient on a regular basis, monitor food and liquid intake, medication dosages, failing to notify the treating physician of changes in mental status, blood pressure and irregular heartbeat. Unfortunately, incidents where patients are dropped and/or abused are also common.
Not every medical incident or poor outcome constitutes medical malpractice. Even though you may have been injured, it’s unrealistic to sue for an injury that is minor or that resolves quickly.
Remember, medical malpractice can happen anywhere your treatment occurs. That includes clinics, doctors' offices, pharmacies, physical therapy, chiropractor’s office, or in nursing homes.
But findings of medical malpractice demand expertise in both the law and medicine, making these exceptionally challenging.
Michael L. Hebert works with a team of attorneys and associated doctors to assess and litigate these difficult cases, giving his clients the optimal chance for a successful outcome.
