Medical Malpractice Study: Miscommunication A Leading Cause in Claims
Research recently published indicates that medical malpractice claims are most often the result of miscommunication.
New research and analysis from CRICO Strategies found that communication problems were a contributing factor in the following ways:
- In about 30 percent of medical malpractice claims filed between 2009 and 2013
- In about 37 percent of all cases that involve a severe injury
- In the deaths of more than 1,700 people across the United States
- In $1.7 billion in hospital costs and bills
Pribanic & Pribanic medical malpractice attorneys understand that those statistics likely don’t tell the whole story or represent all the patients harmed because of communication breakdowns in their doctor’s offices, local clinics or hospitals.
Often medical malpractice victims do not file claims either because they don’t understand that they have a claim, or because they don’t think they will be able to battle with insurance companies and their high-paid lawyers.
Medical malpractice attorneys know that communication breakdowns aren’t the only things that lead to errors that later spur a suit.
According to analysis by Diederich Healthcare of national medical malpractice payout statistics from 2015, Pennsylvania is among the states with the most paid out in claims – more than $300,000.
Statistically speaking, the payout amounts by malpractice allegation was:
- Diagnosis errors (33 percent)
- Surgery errors (24 percent)
- Treatment errors (19 percent)
- Obstetrics errors (11 percent)
- Medication errors (5 percent)
- Monitoring errors (5 percent)
The medical malpractice attorneys at Pribanic & Pribanic understand how all of these factors contribute to later medical malpractice claims – because we’ve been fighting for the rights of injured patients for years.
Our firm helped to secure a $21 million settlement that involved medical malpractice. In that case (which involved hospital negligence), Pribanic & Pribanic obtained a life-changing result for the client that assured a severely injured child will have the proper treatment and care for the rest of his life.
One of our founding partners, attorney Victor Pribanic, recovered the largest (and first significant) medical malpractice plaintiff’s verdict in Butler County, Pennsylvania.
In that case, the jury awarded $600,000 for the death of a stillborn infant.
Pribanic also helped obtain a $4 million confidential settlement in a wrongful death case on behalf of the state of a 34-year-old woman who died during the delivery of her twin baby girls.
Pribanic’s experience helping the victims of medical malpractice claims, though, doesn’t end there.
A significant portion of Pribanic’s current practice is devoted to medical negligence and drug defect claims – ones in which he has been able to secure several seven- and eight-figure verdicts and settlements on behalf of clients in a wide variety of medical matters.
Pribanic & Pribanic’s team of attorneys have worked on cases involving:
- Birth injuries (which can happen in cases where a doctor fails to perform a C-Section)
- Surgical errors
- Hospital negligence
- Nursing neglect/malpractice
- Failure to diagnose (many of these cases involve the diagnosis of various cancers, such as breast, colon and skin cancers)
- Anesthesia malpractice
- Failure to monitor (such as when a patient’s condition isn’t noted appropriately, or a doctor is not notified of a change in a patient’s condition)
- Plastic surgery errors
- Medication errors (these often involve dangerous drugs interactions and those that have been recalled)
If you believe that you or someone that you care about is or has been a victim of medical malpractice – communication error or not- call the skilled attorneys at Pribanic & Pribanic toll-free today at 800-392-4529 for a free case evaluation.
