Medical Malpractice Claims are About Responsibility for Patient Safety
Medical malpractice claims, despite the rumors to the contrary, are about responsibility for patient safety. Likewise, they are about accountability for harm caused to innocent patients and families.
Many folks believe otherwise. Based upon the ongoing assault on patient rights by both the medical industry and more importantly the insurance companies that cater to this market, the common belief is that these cases are driven by opportunistic patients and their lawyers. This is false and based upon gross manipulation of the facts on the ground. Let’s start with one. It is estimated that up to 440,000 patients die each year in the United States as a result of preventable medical error.
Without belaboring the point, medical malpractice claims have been in rather steep decline over the last 15-20 years while death by preventable medical error has skyrocketed from the early estimates in 1999 of 98,000 deaths per year to the current estimates of 440,000. Doing the math on this, one might come to the belief that there is a relationship between reduced accountability and increased deaths.
Patients do have rights in New Mexico. There are a number of resources available for patients to seek accountability beyond lawsuits. If you or a loved one has been harmed and you believe it is a result of medical negligence, utilize these resources for your own protection and for the protection other innocent patients and families in the future.
Here are a few: