Medical malpractice: First steps

Blog submitted by Dane Levy Attorney of www.Dentalmal.com, a provider of legal services for those injured by dental malpractice in California

Medical practice cases involve an issue that arises when medical professionals act negligently or causes an issue that results in harm to the patient. However, even if you do suspect some form of malpractice, for example, from your dentist, your first act shouldn’t involve going to an OC dental malpractice lawyer. Instead, follow the next steps:

Contact the dentist

Your first step is to get in touch with the dentist who performed the procedure. Explain the situation and then allow them to explain what happened. You need to understand what may have gone wrong and give the doctor the chance to remedy the problem or provide a solution. If the solution involves significant cost, or the dentist does not respond, then you move on to the next step.

Speak to the medical board

Each area has a medical licensing board that handles licensing of medical professionals. Their power has limits, and they cannot order or force a dentist to cover the cost or perform procedures. However, they can investigate and issue warnings. Also, you can get some guidance on how to proceed.

Find out how much time you have

Check with the authorities and find out how much time you have to claim a malpractice suit before your statute of limitations runs out. Every state has a period within which you need to file a civil case before you lose the right to monetary compensation.

Merit

Before you can file a case, you will also need another medical professional to confirm that your case has merit. Basically, you need another dentist to confirm that was the victim of malpractice.