If you have been harmed by a healthcare provider, you may be entitled to compensation through a medical malpractice lawsuit. Getting the assistance of an experienced Minneapolis medical malpractice lawyer is essential to understand your rights to compensation under the law.
Thousands of individuals entrust their health and sometimes their very lives to doctors and other healthcare practitioners each day. These professionals are held to the highest standards of care. But when a doctor or other healthcare professional fails to follow established protocols and harms their patients, it can leave these patients with serious injuries and, sometimes, families with the heartbreaking death of a loved one.
Medical malpractice is professional negligence, and those who have been harmed may be entitled to bring a medical malpractice claim against the offending healthcare provider. If you or a loved one has been injured by substandard care, you may be suffering the physical, emotional, and financial consequences. At Kuhlman Law, our experienced Minneapolis medical malpractice lawyers understand how one instance of negligence can result in serious and often long-term suffering.
What is Malpractice in Minnesota?
When a physician or other healthcare provider offers negligent or inappropriate care to a patient that results in injury or fatality, it can be considered medical malpractice. A medical malpractice claim is a legal action taken against a healthcare provider for harm caused by substandard care. In Minnesota, a malpractice claim can be brought up to four years after discovering the negligent action.
As a civil claim, medical malpractice lawsuits are designed to compensate an injured patient for the harm they suffered due to a provider’s negligence. Damages recovered in a medical malpractice lawsuit can compensate for the victim’s medical expenses, lost wages, future loss of earning capacity, future medical costs that may result from the injuries, physical and emotional pain and suffering, and other damages. If the negligence resulted in a fatality, some family members might be able to recover damages through a wrongful death claim.
What Actions are Considered Malpractice?
Medical malpractice encompasses many different issues and injuries. While these can include serious errors during care, malpractice can also be negligence in diagnosing, prescribing, or following up in care. Consequently, medical malpractice can include:
- Medical and surgical mistakes
- Birth injuries
- Failure to diagnose or a misdiagnosis
- Failure to order appropriate tests
- Failure to treat complications
- Performance of unnecessary surgery
- Performing surgery on the wrong site
- Ignoring or misreading lab results
- Prescribing the wrong medicine or dosage
- Disregarding a patient’s medical history
- Failure to get informed consent for a procedure
- Failure to refer a patient to a specialist
Mistake or Malpractice?
Healthcare mistakes are not always malpractice. Malpractice is when the provider did not act in a way that was reasonable for a professional having the same experience and amount of training. A nurse will not be held to the same standards as a heart surgeon.
A malpractice claim will also hinge on the standard of care in the local medical community. While all providers have a legal and ethical duty to provide the safest and best quality care possible, the standard of care may differ depending on the facility, the provider, the circumstances, and the patient. An experienced Minneapolis medical malpractice lawyer understands this and will take this into account.
Getting Experienced Legal Guidance From a Minneapolis Medical Malpractice Lawyer
When you have been harmed by a physician or other healthcare provider, you may be entitled to bring a medical malpractice claim against that individual. It is critical to get the guidance of a skilled professional. At Kuhlman Law, our experienced Minneapolis medical malpractice lawyers have dedicated their careers to representing injured individuals and their families. We can help. Call us at (503) 479-3646 to schedule a no-cost consultation.
