What Constitutes Medical Malpractice?
Over 250,000 deaths result from medical errors in the U.S. every year, putting medical malpractice among the top three causes of death in the nation.
Medical malpractice is an act, omission, or other form of negligence committed by a health care provider that causes injury to a patient. It is harm that results because a medical provider deviates from what another competent medical professional would have reasonably done in the same situation. This is referred to as breaching the standard of care, a standard that medical professionals are obligated by law to meet.
Going to a doctor and receiving unsatisfactory care does not automatically make you a victim of medical malpractice. To reach the legal standards of medical malpractice, an act or omission must meet certain criteria.