Have you suffered an injury because of a medical error? According to a new study by researchers at Stanford, 1 percent of physicians were responsible for over 30 percent of paid medical malpractice claims over the course of a decade. This means that if you’ve been hurt as a result of a medical error, it might not be the first time the person who treated you has hurt someone – and the risk increases with each additional claim.
Some Physicians Were Repeat Offenders
The study looked at more than 66,000 paid malpractice claims in the United States between 2005 and 2014. The study was narrowed down to paid malpractice claims as it was an obvious sign that sub-standard care was given. The most important factor in whether a physician would have a medical malpractice claim was whether or not they had any claims in the past. Doctors with six or more paid claims had over 12 times the risk of another malpractice claim.
You may be wondering how to spot these repeat offenders. Stanford researchers found that male physicians that were older than 35 were at a higher risk for multiple claims. Surgeons, including neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons, as well as OB-GYN’s, were the specialties that were most likely to have multiple malpractice claims. This does not mean that all of these types of physicians are committing malpractice, only that they may be more likely to do so.
If you are the victim of a medical error where you have been gravely injured, you should seek out and speak with an attorney. The only person who can tell you whether or not you have a medical malpractice case is an experienced malpractice lawyer.
At RSH Legal, we have a number of knowledgeable malpractice attorneys that can evaluate your case and tell you whether or not you have a lawsuit. Call us at 1-319-774-1542 and speak with me or one of our other attorneys today.
