What defines the medical malpractice landscape in 2015? Aside from the expanding caps on medical malpractice, here are a few interesting facts about the state of med mal for patients, doctors, and lawyers.
What can we gather about this data?
The number of patients who die each year due to medical errors has risen dramatically since a 1999 analysis, which revealed that 98,000 people were dying each year as the result of preventable errors in hospitals.
As the third largest cause of death in the U.S., medical errors are now only behind heart attacks and cancer.
With the high number of lawsuits that are filed and the low percentage of plaintiffs who actually win their cases, it could seem that many patients are not able to resolve their cases. However, we also know that most cases don’t even go to trial in the first place – in fact, less than a quarter get their day in court.
Lastly, patients and physicians have the right to legal representation in cases of medical negligence, and the Lawyer Referral & Information Service (LRIS) of San Diego is here to facilitate that with referrals to medical malpractice lawyers.
For a referral and up to 30 minutes of free consultation with an attorney, please contact the LRIS at (619) 231-8585, by online chat, or through an online request form.