Healthcare professionals can make mistakes in various settings. This is known as medical malpractice and can be explained as treatment that fails to match up to the standard care. Today, any healthcare provider can be held responsible if a patient proves they caused damage during treatment.
Unfortunately, medical malpractice occurs daily in clinics, hospitals, and even other care settings across the United States. It’s one of the primary causes of death. Nationally, the U.S. approximately pays more than $184 billion for any medical malpractice case.
There have been instances of medical malpractice in Georgia as well. In recent times, a doctor has been asked to pay a certain amount for sharing false claims with Medicare. In this article, we will discuss this and also highlight the challenges that arise while recovering from medical malpractice.
Georgia Doctor Held Accountable for Medical Malpractice
In October 2023, AllOnGeorgia.com reported that a federal district judge ordered doctor Charles Adams and his entire team to compensate for medical malpractice. Charles was asked to pay more than $27 million as he violated the False Claims Act. Additionally, in June 2023, a federal jury in Rome discovered that Adams and his team submitted false chelation therapy reimbursement details to Medicare.
As a result, Medicare had to pay more than $1.1 million for treatments that weren’t required. The chelation therapy uses medicines to take out heavy metals from your body. However, Adams had wrongly claimed that his patients experienced heavy metal poisoning to get the reimbursements.
The verdict of the jury was followed by a post-trial ruling where a judge added penalties. It made the defendants pay more than $27 million. Additionally, a U.S. lawyer, Ryan K. Buchanan, stated that the court’s judgment underlines the extreme consequences of doctors submitting false claims.
This entire incident stressed maintaining the integrity of federal health programs and the security of beneficiaries. Similar mishaps with severe outcomes can take place in other cities in Georgia as well, such as Atlanta, where you need to seek legal aid.
The Atlanta Personal Injury Law Firm states that it is necessary to consult a lawyer and share your experience. Managing medical malpractice all by yourself can be a difficult task. Also, you will not have the legal know-how to proceed with the formalities. A lawyer can bring order into the chaos and ensure you receive justice.
Medical Malpractice Challenges to Address
It’s never easy to recover from a medical malpractice incident. Other than health hazards, it leads to emotional trauma and trust issues. You feel scared to trust doctors and even reputed hospitals the next time you are ill and need to be treated.
Some challenges that follow the recovery process include:
Managing Physical Consequences
Any physical aftereffects of surgical negligence can be severe and varied. It depends totally on the nature of the mistake. Some of the very common outcomes comprise nerve damage, excessive bleeding, infections, and prolonged recovery times. In certain extreme cases, you might need extra surgeries to correct the mistakes. It can heighten the chance of complications and lengthen the recovery phase.
Managing the Psychological Impact
The emotional toll of witnessing surgical negligence can be significant. It is possible that you feel a wide range of emotions, such as depression, fear, betrayal, and anger. The trauma of the mishap and physical pain can result in PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), chronic stress, and anxiety.
Hence, you must accept your feelings and seek assistance from a therapist. It will help you navigate through this challenging phase, where you might have to deal with legal procedures as well. Hence, joining hands with one of the best Atlanta personal injury attorneys is crucial.
When you are recovering, it is natural for you to stay in a state of stress and overwhelm. You might not make the correct judgments as you navigate the legal landscape. A lawyer can provide the required guidance, build your case, and ensure that you receive your desired compensation.
Statute of Limitations Pressure
This can add extra stress for plaintiffs who are seeking justice. Once injured because of medical malpractice, you must start the legal procedures within a certain timeframe. Otherwise, you can miss out on your chance to get compensated.
Hence, this urgency to act quickly and collect evidence might prove to be stressful. It is more so when you are recovering from the emotional and physical impact of medical negligence. A personal injury lawyer can ensure that the legal formalities are addressed within time.
Pressure of Settlement
Medical malpractice cases also contribute to the increased pressure for out-of-court settlements. It is mostly because of the costs, time, and emotional toll linked to prolonged litigation. Even though settling can be a fast way to complete the case, there are chances that the plaintiff’s damages might not be fully covered.
The lawyers will have a challenging job of arriving at the correct balance between seeking justice and dealing with the practical matters of the settlement. They should know the strong and weak aspects of your legal case.
When you act accordingly based on the guidance of the lawyer, you rule out the chances of settlement delays or cancellations.
Taking everything into consideration, a medical malpractice incident will affect you physically and mentally. You have to recover from the existing health hazards and also cope with the inefficiencies of a healthcare provider. It is also necessary to receive legal compensation to cover the damages. The challenges mentioned above are ones you might have to face. Once you are aware of it, you can work through it with the help of an expert lawyer.