For patients seeking medical treatment in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx or surrounding areas, medical mistakes and physician negligence are the last thing they want to think about. Medical malpractice remains a serious problem in the United States and patients need to be aware of some of the risks associated with getting medical care so they can be proactive patient advocates and do everything they can to protect themselves and family members from errors.
A medical malpractice attorney in New York can provide a case evaluation for patients who believe they may have been the victim of a medical error. Those who have been harmed can seek monetary compensation for damages and losses. Patients who are getting medical treatment should also be aware of the statistics on medical negligence so they can do appropriate research and make informed choices about where to seek treatment.
Facts and Statistics on Medical Malpractice
The Health Care Professionals Network recently published some statistics on medical malpractice as part of its Physician’s Money Digest. Some of the important things that doctors and patients should be aware of include the following:
- In 2013, a total of $3.7 billion was paid out to resolve medical malpractice claims.
- The record high annual payouts for claims occurred in 2003, when $5.7 billion was paid out to patients who had been victims of medical error.
- The median payout for plaintiffs in a medical malpractice case as $195,000 in 2013. The record high median payout occurred in 2007, when the median was $218,400.
- 96 percent of all medical malpractice claims are resolved outside of court.
- New York is one of the states with the highest per capita medical malpractice payouts. Other top states include New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Connecticut. The states with the lowest payouts for medical malpractice include Indiana, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Texas and Mississippi.
- A total of 45 percent of plaintiffs in medical malpractice claims are inpatients at the time when the medical error occurs.
- 38 percent of medical malpractice patients were outpatients at the time of the medical error leading to their injury or wrongful death case.
- 33 percent of medical malpractice allegations arise out of diagnostic errors. This is the most common cause of medical malpractice cases.
- 23 percent of malpractice claims arise from problems during surgery.
- 18 percent of patients making medical malpractice claims allege that there was a problem with the treatment they received.
- 10 percent of medical malpractice claims are brought against physicians in the field of obstetrics.
- 10 percent of medical malpractice claims arise out of problems with amnesia or medications. Most amnesia-related claims involve tooth damage (21 percent of claims); death (18 percent of claims) or nerve damage (13 percent of claims).
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