Medical Negligence
Standard of Care
Have you been injured by medical error? By law, health care professionals are required to provide a standard of care in addressing your needs. This standard equates to a level of care, skill and treatment that is recognized as acceptable and appropriate by reasonably prudent health care providers under similar circumstances.
According to a report by the United Institute of Medicine, as many as 98,000 patients die each year as a result of medical errors in hospitals. This number does not take into account the unreported mistakes made by health care facilities, urgent care centers, nursing homes, etc., and is only the figure of lives lost. The figure does not take into account where the victim of medical negligence has experienced a diminished quality of life. In sum, each year our nation pays an estimated $17 billion in medical costs due to preventable errors.
How are you to know if you have been a victim of medical negligence? One sign is if there is a death or severe injury that occurs from a "routine" treatment or surgery, where the physician or doctor can give no reasonable explanation for the worsening of a condition, or perhaps death, of a patient.
Time limits for bringing a medical negligence claim vary depending upon the State where the wrong has occurred. For example, in Florida a medical malpractice action must be brought within two (2) years from the date of the incident or from the date when the incident was known or should have been discovered by the patient. In contrast, in Rhode Island the time period is three (3) years from the date the patient either knew or should have known or discovered the incident. You should bring any potential negligence claim to the attention of an experienced malpractice attorney as soon as it is suspected in order to protect your rights.
If you have a legal question, please do not hesitate to contact the law firm that not only wrote the book, but continues to rewrite it. Call the Law Offices of Ronald J. Resmini and its Associates today to explore your legal rights.
