Medical malpractice claims can be a life-changing situation for both the patient at the receiving end and the healthcare provider responsible for the malpractice. West Virginia, which has a statute of limitations of two years for medical malpractice claims, may not be the state with the highest number of medical malpractice cases. Still, a lot of people needed the help of a Charleston medical malpractice attorney over the years.
Before you get treatment or surgery from a certain doctor, you should ensure that they haven’t been involved in malpractice cases in the past. Such cases may reveal the risks that come with being treated by this healthcare professional. So, if you want to be on the safe side, you must settle for a reputable and trustworthy doctor.
How can you discover whether a doctor has been involved in medical malpractice cases, though? Let’s look at your options.
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How to Find Out If Your Doctor Has Medical Malpractice Claims
If you want to make sure your doctor is reliable and that you will be safe getting your treatment from them, you must find out if there were any medical malpractice claims made against them. Here are some things you can do to find out more information:
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Consider a Google Search
Thanks to technology, the information is at your fingertips today. To discover the latest news, various studies, or anything else regarding a topic, you can do a Google search and get plenty of results.
So, why should looking into a doctor be different? It’s easier to research someone’s past using the Internet.
All you need to do is enter the name of your doctor on Google accompanied by words like “lawsuit”, “malpractice” or “suspension”. You can rest assured the search engine will tell you everything, so you’ll soon know if the doctor has any medical malpractice claims.
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Look at the Medical Licensing Board of the State
Another thing you can do is check the medical licensing board for your state, as well as other states where your healthcare professional has practiced. The American Medical Association Doctor Finder makes this very easy.
In case the doctor had their license suspended, chances are that a medical malpractice case took place.
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Check for Court Records
When a doctor has been sued for medical malpractice, there will be records proving it. So, your state should have a record of your doctor’s medical malpractice case if there was one.
Nowadays, you can find some of these records online. However, if you cannot seem to find anything, you can always pay for a copy of it. All you have to do is give the County Clerk’s office a call and ask.
Just bear in mind that there may be confidential records, so you might not always be successful in this case.
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Look on the List of Health Services Departments
If you have to stay in the hospital, perhaps you want to make sure that the institution hasn’t been sued for medical malpractice in the past. Well, the state department of health services should help you. It will tell you about any complaints that former patients or their families have filed against the hospital.
Make sure to check for your state’s health services departments.
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Check the Physician Data Center of the Federation of State Medical Board
You can look for basic information about healthcare providers by checking the Federation of State Medical Board’s Physician Data Center.
As such, you can find different board certifications and education details. You may also be able to find where the doctor has an active license, as well as whether they have been involved in medical malpractice cases.
What Do You Do If Your GP Has Been Involved in Medical Malpractice?
Once you discover a doctor has been sued for medical malpractice before, you may start feeling uneasy. Not only that, but you may be eager to find another doctor to help you out.
But don’t rush. Keep in mind that a lot of people sue others for any reason today, even when the sued party is not guilty. So, doctors can be sued even when there was no malpractice involved.
This is why you should take your time to do deep research and see whether the doctor has been indeed neglecting patients or if it’s all fake.
Final Thoughts
There are many things you can do to find out if a doctor has medical malpractice claims. You can look for court records or do a Google search among others. Find the best methods for you and take your time to research every piece of information to make sure it’s correct.