Medical malpractice is a serious issue that can have devastating consequences for victims and their families in South Carolina. It is defined as any deviation from accepted standards of health care, health care, or safety by any health care provider that causes harm, injury, or wrongful death. A medical malpractice attorney can help victims receive compensation for an act of negligence, such as a misdiagnosis or lack of action. Research has revealed that doctors aged 54 and older are no more or less likely to face medical malpractice claims than those aged 40 to 54. It was estimated that by the age of 65, 75% of doctors in low-risk specialties had been involved in a malpractice lawsuit, compared to 99% of doctors in high-risk specialties.
Between 1991-1995 and 2001-2003, the average annual proportion of doctors from low-risk specialties who submitted claims decreased from 8.3% to 5.8%. The specialties in which physicians were most likely to be sued were not always the same as those where compensation claims predominated. Doctors who belonged to other smaller specialties were grouped under an “other specialty” category. Figure 3 shows the average and median compensation payments per doctor for each specialty, after excluding claims that did not result in the payment of compensation. In the United States, a doctor can expect a jury trial in almost every medical malpractice case, assuming that the case is not resolved before trial.
This decline is likely related to improved patient safety initiatives and to the participation of doctors in continuing professional development programs. An attorney can demonstrate that the plaintiff's doctor failed to meet the acceptable standard of care by submitting qualified expert testimony stating the minimum standard required in the medical profession. This agency maintains a national database of professionals that collects data on the number of malpractice lawsuits that have been successful in each state, as well as the total amount of money that has been awarded in those lawsuits. In the United States, medical malpractice law is under the authority of individual states; the framework and rules that govern it have been established through lawsuit decisions brought in state courts. Even a jury verdict in favor of the defendant doctor can have serious consequences in terms of personal stress, discouragement, and dedication of time to the process. To the extent that this website analyzes previous cases that the firm has handled or mentions in any way the firm or its services, New York courts may consider that these are lawyer advertising.
