When we put our family members into nursing homes, we expect our loved ones will be treated with care. And, when the medical professionals (nurses, nurses assistants, orderlies, doctors, etc.) hired by that nursing home treat or diagnose them, we expect professionalism and care as well.

However, when these medical professionals fail to provide your loved ones with adequate care, and they are injured as a result, this qualifies as medical malpractice. This is why it is common that nursing home negligence can actually be medical malpractice, or where there may be multiple levels of negligence in such Placerville, California, cases.

The basics

Medical malpractice cases are brought by the patients themselves or their family after they have been harmed or their illness/injury exacerbated because of poor medical treatment or misdiagnosis. The issue is whether or not the medical provider’s actions or inactions were negligent, which is a test of whether the injured person received the same standard of care as a reasonable medical provider under similar circumstances.

Depending on the issue, call the medical professional

Depending on the nature of the injury, you may be able to solve the issue with a phone call. Call the medical professional involved. Let them explain what happened and determine if they can remediate the situation. In many situations, medical professionals will perform additional services for free to solve issues.

Medical Licensing Board

If that call does not help or if a call is not appropriate, your next call should be to the Medical Licensing Board that governs the medical professional’s license. While they usually cannot provide compensation, they can discipline the provider.

Medical malpractice claim

Of course, these two solutions are not your only solutions. The ultimate solution is a medical malpractice claim (lawsuit). Usually, you must file these within a year or so of the claim, depending on your state and the issue. Contact a local Placerville, California, attorney to understand your options and how long you have to make your decision.