Every healthcare professional, whether a surgeon, nurse, or ER doctor, is legally expected to meet a certain level of skill and judgment. That’s the standard of care. It doesn’t mean they have to be perfect. However, it does mean they must do what another qualified provider would reasonably do in a similar situation.
The exact standard can vary based on the situation. You can’t expect a small-town family doctor to have the same level of training or access to the same tools as a specialist in a teaching hospital. That being said, they still must meet the standards for their role and setting. When those expectations aren’t met and you or a loved one gets seriously hurt, you may have a valid medical malpractice claim. Your claim hinges on whether your provider’s actions or failure to act broke that standard.
At Marzella & Associates, our malpractice lawyers serve the Reading area and its surrounding communities. We help injured patients understand if their experience involved more than just bad luck. If your injury was caused by carelessness or a medical mistake that shouldn’t have happened, you may have a legal case and a right to proper compensation.
Standard of Care Errors Can Be Life-Altering
A breach of the standard of care happens when your provider fails to meet their professional responsibilities, and you get hurt. This is one of the key things you must prove in a malpractice case. Alarmingly, nearly 800,000 people die or are permanently disabled by diagnostic mistakes each year across all care settings in the U.S. That’s a reflection of how often medical professionals miss severe conditions that could have been caught with proper attention and testing.
For instance, if you come to the ER with chest pain, the standard of care may require the doctor to order an EKG and bloodwork to check for a possible heart attack. If your doctor sends you home without running those tests and you suffer a preventable cardiac event, that may be a breach.
In another example, let’s say you notice a lump in your breast and inform your doctor right away. Standard medical practice typically involves a referral for imaging, such as a mammogram or ultrasound. If your doctor shrugs it off and delays testing for months, and that delay leads to a late-stage cancer diagnosis, that delay could be life-threatening and grounds for a malpractice claim.
Besides proving that your provider made a mistake, a medical malpractice claim is also about demonstrating that they didn’t follow the standard steps that someone in their position would’ve taken and that this failure caused you real harm.
Why You Need Our Medical Malpractice Lawyers
You don’t need to determine whether your doctor breached the standard of care on your own. In fact, it’s nearly impossible to do so without legal help. Medical records are complex. Hospitals won’t hand over internal reviews without a fight. Likewise, unless you have access to experts who can explain what should’ve happened, it’s easy to feel like your case isn’t worth pursuing. That’s why you need a Reading medical malpractice attorney on your side.
They work with medical experts who can help you understand what your provider should have done and how their failure changed your outcome. They also review your records, build your case, and take on the insurers and lawyers who are paid to shut down claims like yours, whether through strategic negotiations or in court.
Consult With Our Reputable Medical Malpractice Attorneys
At Marzella & Associates, our medical malpractice lawyers serve Reading, PA, and the following areas with top-quality representation. Call 717-876-8681 or contact us online for a free consultation.