There is nothing new under the sun, and medical malpractice cases most definitely fall under this category. It is no shock when we hear that every year thousands of people are dying at the hands of medical professionals because of their mistakes and negligence with their patients. While hospitals are beginning to become more and more open about their mistakes and errors in their facilities, malpractice is still ever present, and something needs to be done. According to a recent article in the New York Times, the medical system right now is laced with issues that are jeopardizing the health and safety of patients all over the country. Right now, so many hospitals are extremely slow with how they deal with claims for injuries and wrongful death claims, often leaving families without repayment for their suffering for a number of years before anything is settled officially.

Sadly, even with so many people being injured because of the acts of negligent doctors and staff, there are estimated one quarter of medical malpractice claims that are against doctors who actually did nothing. Reports show that when a doctor who was not in the wrong has their life and practices scrutinized are often more likely to lose confidence in their own abilities to practice medicine, therefore placing others in danger as a result. The idea of those seeking to reform the medical malpractice system is that there ought to be new ways to go about seeking justice for those who have been wrongfully injured, just in a more efficient and effective manner, different from the system that exists today.

While pursuing efficiency in the medical malpractice system, it is also something that is necessary for those who are victims and now suffering for life because of the mistakes of the doctors. For example, in 2012, the largest medical malpractice case was won awarding the plantiff $8.6 million for their suffering as a result of their doctors misdiagnoses of their illness. This case involved a 50 year old New York woman who believed that her doctors misdiagnoses resulted in lack of enjoyment of life as well as harmed where physical ability to work in the office as a manager, her job prior to the procedures.

For two years this woman sought the treatments of an otolaryngologist, a neck and head specialist, in order to receive help for her conditions. For a long period of time the woman was suffering with vertigo and extreme headaches and her doctor told her that her symptoms were due to otosclerosis which means that there was some form of abnormal growth located in the middle area of her ear. She sought the counsel of another doctor who in return said that it was simply a chronic sinus infection. The plaintiff then claims that even after years of treatments her doctor completely ignored the symptoms of her having any type of infection, a condition that the first doctor never considered.

Due to the misdiagnosis, her symptoms went untreated for far too long eventually resulting in infections in other areas of the ear. The damage to the pituitary gland resulted in diabetes insipidus, seizures and falling injuries. The extent of the suffering long surpassed that of the initial infection, and had her doctor properly diagnosed the infection, her life would look significantly different today.

This is merely an example of one case in our country, and there are so many others who are suffering at the hands of negligent medical professionals. Please contact a medical malpractice attorney in your area to learn more about pursing justice for your pain and suffering.