Med Mal 101
Back to Basics
Friday, Eldredge & Clark produced a monthly series for medical care providers – “Med Mal 101: Back to Basics.” The information was published in 2019 and written by the firm's Medical Malpractice attorneys. The content was designed to give physicians and other healthcare providers information they need to know about malpractice litigation.
With this series, we provided Arkansas practitioners with a general overview of the legal process to dispel some common myths and to aid in a better understanding of what actually happens when a medical care provider is sued for malpractice.
The 12-month series includes:
Why Back to Basics?
In a recent study published in The American Journal of Surgery, the majority of general surgery residents surveyed felt that they were not aware of resources available to them in case of litigation.[1]
This is an unfortunate statistic since according to the American Medical Association, one in three physicians have been sued at some point in their career, and nearly half of physicians age 55 and older reported having been sued.[2]
With this series, we will provide medical personnel practicing in Arkansas with a general overview of the legal process. We hope to dispel some common myths and to aid in a better understanding of what actually happens when a medical care provider is sued for malpractice.
These articles are intended to provide general educational information only and cannot take the place of experienced legal advice.
[1] Beiqun Zhao, Luis C. Cajas-Monson, & Sonia Ramamoorthy, Malpractice Allegations: A reality check for resident physicians, 217 American Journal of Surgery 350-355 (2019).
[2] Kevin B. O'Reilly, 1 in 3 physicians has been sued; by age 55, 1 in 2 hit with suit, The American Medical Association (Jan. 26, 2018).