Medical malpractice is the law’s name for when doctors, hospitals and other medical providers make serious mistakes in patient care. Of course, some bad outcomes are unavoidable, even when doctors do their best. But when a mistake is so serious that the resulting care falls below the medical community’s standards, it is medical malpractice. And these medical mistakes are more common than you may think. According to one study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2000, medical negligence causes at least 119,000 deaths in the United States every year among hospitalized patients alone. The same study estimated that medical errors among outpatients cause $77 billion a year in unnecessary costs.

Most people think of medical malpractice as a deliberate act, such as amputating the wrong limb. While that is certainly one type of medical negligence, malpractice can also be a failure to act. Common examples of malpractice include:

• Failure to diagnose, or misdiagnosis
• Mistakes during surgery or other procedures
• Hospital-borne infections
• Failure to follow safety rules
• Problems with medical devices and equipment
• Dispensing too much, too little or the wrong type of medication
• Birth injuries

As the JAMA study noted, these mistakes and omissions can have catastrophic results for the patients affected. At their most serious, they can cause unnecessary deaths and permanent, irreversible disabilities. They can also be physically painful, emotionally devastating and extremely expensive to treat, especially when they require a lifetime of follow-up care. When a medical professional’s bad judgment caused these injuries and costs, patients have the right to hold them legally responsible with a Fort Lauderdale medical malpractice lawsuit.

Balliro has the legal expertise and experience necessary for the complicated and lengthy process of proving a medical malpractice claim. Over a decade of practicing law in Florida, our Miami medical malpractice attorneys have tried hundreds of cases to verdict, including many complex, high-stakes cases. We can help clients claim all of the costs of their injuries, including compensation for a lifetime of medical care they would never have needed without the medical mistake. We can also help them claim compensation for non-financial but very real losses, such as the loss of a loved one, a permanent disability or chronic pain.

If you have suffered a serious injury or illness because of a doctor’s mistake, you should talk to Balliro as soon as possible. You can reach us toll-free, 24 hours a day and seven days a week, at 1-866-INJURED, or contact us through the Internet.