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Baltimore Medical Malpractice Lawyer
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Medical Malpractice Lawyers in Baltimore
Whenever you visit a hospital, urgent care facility, specialist, or primary care doctor to receive medical treatment, there is an accepted standard of care all healthcare professionals must follow. Medical malpractice is the failure of a healthcare provider to follow the accepted standard of care. The failure to meet the standard of care, or otherwise stated – a healthcare provider’s negligence – can result in serious, potentially life-threatening injuries. When this occurs, the injured patient may be entitled to legal compensation. But before you seek damages from the negligent party, it’s critical that you hire an experienced Baltimore medical malpractice lawyer to guide you through the legal practice.
Every day, we place our trust in the hands of hospitals, physicians, surgeons, and caretakers. The vast majority of the time, healthcare providers properly use their training and expertise to help keep us healthy, and we are grateful for that. However, when a medical facility or healthcare professional fails to satisfy the accepted standard of care, it can result in serious injury or death. These instances are not uncommon and those responsible must be held accountable. Reach out to a Baltimore medical malpractice lawyer today to discuss your case and learn what action can be taken on behalf of you and your family.
Common Types of Medical Malpractice
Doctors and other medical professionals are far from perfect and commonly make serious errors due to negligence. What is less known is how those medical malpractice errors can permanently affect patients in the short and long term. These victims are burdened with the physical and emotional consequences of their injuries caused by negligent doctors and nurses. Some of the most common types of medical malpractice include:
Medical Misdiagnosis
The most common type of medical malpractice is misdiagnosis. Medical misdiagnosis occurs when a doctor examines a patient and fails to identify the correct illness or disease. This can cost the patient valuable time that could have been dedicated to healing or mitigating the illness or disease. Misdiagnosis can also create an unnecessary treatment plan that negatively affects patient health.
Birth Injury
The pregnancy process is incredibly delicate and must be treated as such. Mothers trust numerous doctors and other healthcare providers to take care of them and their children throughout pregnancy, labor, and delivery. These healthcare providers include hospital facilities, obstetricians-gynecologists (OB-GYN’s), physicians, surgeons, nurses, and more. Any healthcare provider can be held responsible for birth injuries if it is proven to be caused by their negligence. Common types of birth injuries caused by negligent medical professionals include:
Nursing Home Abuse
As our parents and loved ones get older, many in Maryland will turn to nursing homes to help provide comfort and safety during this stage of life. The decision to place a loved one in the care of another can be a difficult one. We rely on nursing homes, senior living centers, and assisted care facilities to provide our loved ones with the proper, respectful, and expedited medical treatment. However, nursing home abuse and neglect have continued to occur at alarmingly high rates. Now more than ever with the COVID-19 pandemic, protecting your loved one’s legal rights is critical. Common forms of nursing home abuse include:
- Bedsores
- Sepsis
- Malnutrition
- Broken Bones
- Wrongful Death
Emergency Room Errors
The emergency room is often a chaotic environment. Patients and healthcare providers alike can be affected by these hectic conditions. If you think negligent medical care at a hospital or emergency room caused you harm or injury, the Baltimore emergency error lawyers at Hyatt & Goldbloom can help determine your legal right to compensation.
Medication Errors
Whenever a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or other healthcare provider plays a part in prescribing and dispensing medication to a patient, there is an accepted standard of care the healthcare provider must follow. If any one of these providers fails to meet the standard of care, their actions can create medication errors that constitute negligence.
These are some of the more common types of malpractice that a Baltimore medical malpractice lawyer frequently represents, however, there are countless other types of cases that stem from medical malpractice. If you believe you were harmed due to the negligence of a care provider, reach out to Hyatt & Goldbloom right away.
Certificate of Qualified Expert in Maryland Medical Malpractice Cases
In Maryland medical malpractice cases, there is an important step every victim must take before their case is heard in court. That step is obtaining a Certificate of Qualified Expert (CQE), also called a certificate/affidavit of merit. Maryland courts require a certificate of a qualified expert to be submitted to prevent fictitious medical malpractice claims. These trivial cases that lack strong evidence are expensive when introduced to the court and waste a judge and jury’s time. Nevertheless, there are rules and stipulations that need to be met for the CQE to be approved. A qualified expert who completes the certificate or testifies as a medical malpractice expert cannot devote more than 20% of his or her professional activities towards CQE activities. This is because Maryland courts consider it suspicious and potentially impartial if a medical expert devotes more than 20% of their professional time testifying on behalf of personal injury claims.
What is a Certificate of Qualified Expert?
Also known as a certificate/affidavit of merit, a CQE is a signed and sworn statement from a medical expert witness stating the claim is legitimate and meets the requirements to prove wrongdoing by a medical professional. Essentially, the CQE helps lower the probability of frivolous lawsuits and strengthens the plaintiff’s case. In the statement, the expert shows they are in the same medical field as the one the defendant practices, they have reviewed the case, and in their expert opinion, they found the defendant’s actions to breach the medical standard of care in the given circumstances.
How Long Do I Have to File a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit in Maryland?
Maryland has numerous requirements for medical malpractice lawsuits and has established a specific statute of limitations that must be strictly followed. If you’re looking for Maryland’s statute of limitations for medical malpractice cases, you can find them at the Maryland Courts & Judicial Proceedings Code section 5-109. This section states that a medical malpractice lawsuit must be filed within five years of the time that the injury or negligence was committed, or within three years of the date, the injury was discovered, whichever comes first. If these deadlines are not met, your medical malpractice lawsuit may be invalid due to the statute of limitations expiring.
Medical Malpractice Statistics
Believe it or not, medical malpractice claims are much more common than you may think. Many patients are severely affected by the negligent actions of a doctor or healthcare provider every day. Even more shocking, most patients affected by medical malpractice never pursue their cases and find justice. Luckily, help is available from a Baltimore medical malpractice lawyer that can help you throughout the legal process and claim compensation for harm caused by another.
- According to a study by Johns Hopkins University, more than 250,000 people in the U.S. die every year from medical errors and negligence. These deaths can stem from incorrect dosages to surgical errors, medical misdiagnosis, birth injury, and more. This makes medical malpractice the third-leading cause of death in the United States
- A recent study by the National Institutes of Health revealed that only 2% of those who suffer from medical malpractice ever file compensation claims. Even fewer ever receive compensation for their injury, failing health, or pain and suffering.
- According to NPDB data, the average payout for a medical malpractice claim from 2009-2018 was approximately $309,908.
- One statistic shows that 12,000 people per annum die from unnecessary surgery.
Contact The Baltimore Medical Malpractice Lawyers At Hyatt & Goldbloom
The Law Office of Hyatt & Goldbloom makes it our priority to protect the legal rights of the medically injured. We know a medical malpractice lawsuit cannot undo the harm caused by a medical mistake, but we are confident that our dedicated legal team can help you gain the ability to move forward. If you or a loved one has sustained injuries due to the negligent care of a medical provider, the Baltimore medical malpractice lawyers at Hyatt & Goldbloom are prepared to fight for the compensation you deserve.