Family Medicine Malpractice

Family physicians are typically the first point of care for most patients. If a family physician makes an error, therefore, the consequences can be devastating for the patient. If you have been injured as a result of inadequate medical care by a family physician, you may be entitled to damages for your harm. At Arfaa Law Group, our Baltimore medical malpractice lawyers understand that family medicine malpractice can have life-altering effects for a patient and his or her family, which is why we will do everything in our power to protect your rights and interests.

Family medicine is an area of medicine that deals with comprehensive health care for people of all ages. A family physician is a doctor who focuses on an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship. On top of diagnosing and treating serious and chronic illnesses, your family doctor provides routine health screenings and counseling on lifestyle changes in an attempt to prevent conditions and illnesses. Family physicians are also trained to recognize when something is beyond their scope of practice and refer patients to specialists as and when needed.

Family physicians, like every other type of doctor, can make mistakes. According to one study, the top seven reasons why family physicians get sued are:

• Failure to diagnose or a delayed diagnosis of a medical condition;
• Negligent maternity care practice;
• Negligent fracture or trauma care;
• Failure to consult in a timely manner;
• Negligent drug treatment;
• Negligent procedures; and
• Failure to obtain informed consent.

As mentioned earlier, for most patients, family doctors are often the first line of defense in treating illnesses and identifying serious health conditions. These physicians are required to provide competent care to each and every patient. Unfortunately, this does not always happen. If you are seriously hurt because of a family physician’s negligence, you could recover compensation through a medical malpractice claim. Medical malpractice refers to injuries caused by the actions or inaction of a health care professional or medical institution.

In order to establish medical malpractice, the injured patient and their attorney must show that the treating physician breached the applicable standard of care, which directly resulted in the patient’s injury. The standard of care refers to the level of care that a reasonably competent family physician would have used under the same or similar circumstances. For instance, if a family physician failed to refer you to a specialist, which led to a delay in diagnosing cancer and caused the cancer to advance rapidly when it could have been caught and treated earlier, that family physician could be liable for malpractice if a reasonably competent family physician in the same situation would have provided a referral.

Medical injuries can be devastating for both the victim and his or her family. Malpractice victims not only are forced to deal with adverse health outcomes but also need to deal with the reality of bills piling up due to time off from work. Fortunately, Maryland law allows victims of malpractice to recover damages such as medical expenses, lost wages, rehabilitation costs, pain and suffering, future medical costs, and any other losses stemming from the malpractice. While there is no limit on the amount of economic damages that a plaintiff can recover, there is a cap on non-economic damages.

Dealing with a medical injury can turn your whole life upside down. If you have been a victim of medical negligence, we can help. At Arfaa Law Group, our skilled injury attorneys are committed to getting you the compensation that you deserve for your harm. Restoring the lives of injured people in the Baltimore area and throughout Maryland is our top priority, and you can rest assured that we will zealously advocate for your rights at every step of the way. To schedule a free evaluation of your case, call us today at 410-889-1850 or contact us online.