Coachella Valley Medical Malpractice And Protecting Yourself

As a Palm Springs personal injury lawyer I also handle Coachella Valley medical malpractice cases. Not every accident lawyer has experience with medical malpractice cases. For reasons unknown to me I have seen a dramatic uptick in the number of potential clients calling about horror stories that have occurred to them or family members resulting from hospitalizations. As reported recently in an AARP publication based on a United States Health and Human Services study one in seven Medicare patients suffered serious or long-term injuries or death as a result of hospital care. Researchers concluded that almost 44% of the problems were preventable. Medical errors take many forms. A surgeon nicks a healthy blood vessel; a nurse mistakenly gives a toxic dose of medicine; the hospital staff fails to properly disinfect a room and the poor patients contracts MRSA, C-diff, or another superbug. Last year the Obama administration said they would spend one billion dollars to fund safely measures by hospitals. As a Palm Desert medical malpractice lawyer I have noticed many people call me because of poor results from certain medical treatment which was not caused by medical negligence. There is a big difference between a patient having a medical procedure resulting in a poor result but was done properly and a medical procedure done in a careless and negligent manner that caused injuries beyond the medical condition necessating that procedure. The concept of negligence as it applies to auto accidents, construction accidents, or slip and fall accidents is much easier to prove than medical negligence. One obvious reason is the reluctance of doctors willing to testify against other doctors. Another reason is that the jury instructions that govern how jurors must decide issues of medical negligence are slanted against the malpractice victim, and in favor of the accused doctor or hospital. Of course I am probably biased because I am a personal injury trial lawyer who only represents persons who have been injured by the negligence of a medical provider. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; The Consumer's Union; and the Connecticut Center for Patient Safety recommend the following things that patients who intend to enter a hospital for inpatient care should do: 1. bring an advocate, friend or family member for check in and discharge. 2. Bring a notebook. Write down all your medications, why you take them and who prescribed them. 3. Bring a big bottle of hand sanitizer. Put it by your bed and remind yourself and the staff to keep hands clean. 4. If you are able, always make certain that the medication you are given is actually prescribed for you. Stay healthy. Contact the Palm Springs medical malpractice Lawyer at this firm for any injuries or illnesses you suspect were caused by medical negligence occurring in Indio, Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Cathedral City, or any other cities in the Coachella Valley.