Despite having a reputation as the home of some of the best medical care in the nation, Massachusetts is also the home to a host of medical mistakes. When is a bad medical experience considered medical malpractice, and how do you report a medical error?
What is a Medical Error?
In Massachusetts as part of an effort to identify and track problems in delivery of healthcare, hospitals are required by law to report what are known as "serious reportable events" (SREs) to Health and Human Services Department of Public Health.
The state currently tracks 29 SREs as defined by the National Quality Forum. These SREs are also known as "never events" as they are never supposed to happen to someone in a hospital.
According to one study, almost 1 in 4 Massachusetts residents experienced a medical error themselves or a person close to them, and 59% of these incidents resulted in serious health consequences. (2014 survey by the Betsy Lehman Center, which asked 1,224 Massachusetts residents whether they or someone close to them believed they had experienced a medical error situation.)
Why Report a Medical Mistake?
For more information on reporting a medical error, see: Steps to take after experiencing a medical mistake from the Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety.
When Is a Medical Mistake Considered Medical Malpractice?
1. Jot down some notes about your situation.
To the best of your knowledge write down doctor or other health provider names and hospitals involved and any key dates. What was your medical issue? What went wrong? Don’t worry about getting every detail, but create your own record and get your thoughts together enough to tell your basic story.
To the best of your knowledge write down doctor or other health provider names and hospitals involved and any key dates. What was your medical issue? What went wrong? Don’t worry about getting every detail, but create your own record and get your thoughts together enough to tell your basic story.
2. Speak with an experienced medical malpractice attorney in the state in which the problem occurred.
If the medical error in question caused a patient serious injury, additional surgeries, a delay in recovery or death, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries and medical costs. It is important to speak with a law firm that regularly brings medical malpractice cases to trial and has a record of winning verdicts — which gives them more leverage in settlement negotiations — such as Lubin & Meyer.
If the medical error in question caused a patient serious injury, additional surgeries, a delay in recovery or death, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries and medical costs. It is important to speak with a law firm that regularly brings medical malpractice cases to trial and has a record of winning verdicts — which gives them more leverage in settlement negotiations — such as Lubin & Meyer.
3. Request a free case review from Lubin & Meyer
It costs nothing to have your case reviewed by Lubin & Meyer PC, New England's leader in medical malpractice law. If, after we review your case, we believe that you have a valid claim to pursue, we will further investigate your case with no out-of-pocket cost to you. In fact, you don’t pay us unless we recover money for your injury. Please don’t hesitate to contact us, we are here to assist you.
Call: (617) 720-4447 or click the button below to fill out a form.
For more information: If you or a loved one experienced a medical error, please click the following link to read information about medical mistakes in Massachusetts. While not every medical error leads to a life altering injury (or worse), every medical mistake does deserve to be reported in order to make these errors known and to help keep them from happening to someone else.
View our main website at LubinandMeyer.com - Lubin & Meyer PC - New England's Leader in Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury Law
Lubin & Meyer represents individuals and families in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
