Our health and the health of our loved ones are vital. We put a lot of trust in doctors and other medical professionals to determine why we are sick and to treat our illness or injury appropriately. However, sometimes that trust is misplaced.
When a health care provider performs his or her job negligently and fails to properly diagnose or treat an illness or injury, a patient's illness or injury can be made worse. When that happens, a doctor or health care provider may be liable for medical malpractice or negligence and the patient or family member may be entitled to compensation.
Medical malpractice or negligence arises when doctors, nurses, hospitals or other health care professionals damage a patient by providing care that is below the acceptable standard of care in the medical community. It is important to understand, however, that a bad medical outcome does not always equal medical malpractice. In many situations, a patient can suffer added injury or death even though medical staff members performed their jobs correctly.
Protecting Your Rights as a Patient
At Lestelle & Lestelle, we thoroughly review the medical records of each potential medical malpractice claim before deciding whether to handle it. And because multiple parties such as a doctor, nurse and hospital may be at fault, we investigate to determine the potential liability of all health care providers involved in your care and treatment.
Our careful case selection and use of trusted medical experts help our success in this complex area of law. It is essential that you take action immediately. The law allows only a certain amount of time to file a medical malpractice claim. For a free initial case evaluation, please call 877-852-3688 or contact us online.
Medical malpractice can be the result of acts or omissions such as:
- Failure to diagnose
- Misdiagnosis
- Delay in treatment
- Failure to provide proper treatment
- Lack of informed consent
- Surgical error
- Anesthesia error
- Medication error
Perhaps your medical problem was misdiagnosed in the emergency room and as a result, the untreated problem caused you further harm. Perhaps a procedure was performed before anyone explained the possible risks to you. Perhaps a drug was prescribed to you even though your medical history showed that the drug would cause you serious problems if you took it. All of these events have one thing in common: a medical professionals failure to follow the proper, accepted standard of care.
Louisiana law requires that a medical review panel be convened against a qualified physician, hospital or health care provider before a lawsuit for medical malpractice can be filed. The panel is composed of three other doctors or health care providers in Louisiana who will give their opinion as to whether malpractice or a breach of the applicable standard of care occurred. After the review panel renders an opinion, then and only then do Louisiana patients have the right to file a lawsuit for medical malpractice. Louisiana has a cap on damages of $500,000 plus future medical costs for medical malpractice claims.
It is important to hire a lawyer who is experienced and familiar with medical malpractice laws. Contact one of our knowledgeable and experienced attorneys to discuss whether you or a loved one may be the victim of medical malpractice. The law allows only a certain amount of time to file a medical malpractice claim. Please call our New Orleans area office today at 877-852-3688 to schedule a free initial case evaluation.
Contact Our Louisiana Medical Negligence Attorneys
