It’s the responsibility of healthcare providers to ensure the safety and well-being of their patients. Unfortunately, acts of medical malpractice and negligence happen every day around the country. Patients can protect themselves by being proactive about identifying and preventing medical errors.

Background Check

You may not always get to choose your doctor, such as when you’re taken to the emergency room. When you do have a choice, take a few minutes to research the doctor’s background. The ideal healthcare provider will have:

• Training at respectable institutions
• Board certification in his or her specialty
• No professional disciplinary actions
• No consistent history of prior medical malpractice lawsuits

If you’ll be undergoing surgery or another complex treatment, such as treatment of cancer, take a close look at the doctor’s level of experience. For instance, if you’ll be having hip replacement surgery, don’t be afraid to ask your orthopedic surgeon how many of these surgeries he/she has performed, and what is their particular complication/success rate.

Informed Consent
Before having a medical procedure, such as surgery, your doctor is required to obtain your informed consent. In other words, you have the legal right to be fully informed of every aspect of your treatment, including the potential risks and alternatives. You also have the right to reject a proposed treatment after weighing the pros and cons of the plan of care. If you’re uncomfortable with your treatment plan, you can continue to ask questions, learn about your diagnosis and the treatment, and seek a second opinion from another healthcare provider.

Medication Safety
Medication errors are a common type of malpractice. A mistake can occur at any point in the process—from the doctor’s initial prescribing information to the pharmacist’s dispensing actions to the nurse who administers the medicine in the hospital. Before taking any medication, make sure the prescribing doctor has your full health history. If you’re receiving medication in the hospital, ask the nurse to verify the name and dosage of the drug, cross-referenced with your patient records and your medications you are taking

At Pegalis & Erickson, LLC, we’ve made it our life’s work to tirelessly advocate on behalf of patients on their families. Contact our malpractice law firm on Long Island, New York at (516) 684-2900 if you think you’ve been affected by an act of medical negligence. Some of our negligence and wrongful death lawsuits have resulted in multimillion-dollar jury awards for our clients.

The legal definition of medical malpractice is often misunderstood. Most doctors, nurses, and medical technicians genuinely try to do their best for their patients, but they’re human and mistakes do happen from time to time. However, the literal definition of medical malpractice is bad practice. Not every medical mistake rises to the level of a legal medical malpractice action. A medical mistake is an incorrect act or an act of omission. For example, a nurse may misread a doctor’s written instructions, and give a patient too much or too little of a medication.

If the patient suffers no harm as the result of the medication error, then it’s merely a mistake which fortunately did not cause harm. Malpractice occurs when a healthcare provider makes a mistake or commits an act or an omission that deviates from the accepted standard of care, and causes harm to the patient.

Medical malpractice cases across New York are what we handle here at Pegalis & Erickson, LLC. Call (516) 684-2900 to request your free case review at no charge.

Some birth injuries require immediate care, such as oxygen deprivation to the baby’s brain. After any sort of birth trauma is diagnosed, the first step to take is to ensure that your child gets the medical treatment he or she needs. Depending on your child’s specific condition, he or she may be admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Each hospital’s policies are a little different, but in general, parents can see their baby in the NICU as soon as the newborn has been stabilized and settled in. A nurse or patient navigator will explain what to expect from your child’s stay in the NICU.

Once your baby is stabilized and the situation has calmed down, you should have a longer, in-depth conversation with the healthcare providers, which includes the neonatologist in charge of the NICU, who are treating your child. Take notes and ask plenty of questions. Ask whether your baby should have any additional medical tests or treatments, or should be seen by other specialists such as infectious diseases, pulmonology, cardiology, ophthalmology, and neurology, depending on the situation.

Families affected by birth trauma near Long Island, New York can turn to the medical malpractice lawyers at Pegalis & Erickson, LLC. Call (516) 684-2900 for the answers to your legal questions.

In the legal field, time limits on filing medical malpractice claims are known as statutes of limitations. State law establishes the deadlines for particular types of claims filed within that state. In New York, patients effected by medical malpractice have just two and a half years to file a claim. There are limited exceptions to this rule and in regards to the specific type of medical malpractice. There are also shorter statutes of limitations when the malpractice occurs in New York State owned and operated hospitals or a hospital owned and operated by a municipality. Whether the injured party is an adult or a child, alive or deceased, all impact the time to file a law suit.

Get in touch with a malpractice law firm in New York as soon as possible after realizingyou may have been subjected to medical negligence, such as emergency room errors, or misdiagnosis,. You can call the dedicated team at Pegalis & Erickson, LLC at (516) 684-2900.

Prior to putting your health and your life in the hands of a doctor, you as a proactive patient should take advantage of available information concerning a physician’s background

In New York, the Office of Professional Medical Conduct—OPMC—investigates complaints about healthcare professionals. You can use the OPMC website to research your providers and find out if they have any record of complaints in their past. This information can help you make an informed decision about your healthcare. When considering a doctor for your care, you can also check doctors’ backgrounds on the New York State Physician Profile Website.

The medical malpractice lawyers in New York at Pegalis & Erickson, LLC can assist you if you suspect medical negligence has impacted your healthcare. To discuss the details of your case, please call (516) 684-2900. We advocate for people of all ages who have been victims of avoidable negligence that caused them life-altering harm or death.

Medical malpractice laws are complex, and they vary from state to state. If you believe you could have a claim, it is important to contact a medical malpractice lawyer with experience practicing in New York. Here is a closer look at some of the specifics of medical malpractice laws in New York.

Statute of Limitations
The time to bring a lawsuit in New York for medical malpractice can be confusing for patients. If you suspect medical negligence occurred, do not delay in consulting an attorney so that your rights can be protected. The attorneys for the patient need to identify the health care providers who made the avoidable medical mistakes, in order to file the lawsuit.

The time limits for filing a lawsuit, called statutes of limitations, are laws which dictate when a lawsuit must be started. Whether the patient is an adult or child, and is alive or has died, all play a key role. In New York the entity involved– such as private facilities, city, state or federal facilities- all have a different time requirement for filing a lawsuit. Once the time limit has expired, a law suit cannot be brought, so if negligence is suspected, action must be taken quickly.

Medical Malpractice attorneys along with medical experts will determine if something serious happened with the medical care you or your loved one received, that should not have occurred. They will gather and review medical records and information, to identify avoidable medical errors.

You can trust the experienced team at Pegalis & Erickson, LLC to help you protect your rights if medical malpractice in New York has happened to you. Talk to an attorney today by calling (516) 684-2900.

Patients place considerable trust in their doctors, specialists, and nurses. Although healthcare providers are highly trained and the medical industry is tightly regulated, countless medical mistakes occur every year. Medical malpractice lawyers are dedicated individuals who seek to hold negligent healthcare providers accountable for their actions. However, the decision to take legal action against a doctor should not be taken lightly. If you’re a patient who has been harmed, you can count on your medical malpractice attorney to provide the sound legal guidance you need to make a decision.

Getting a Second Opinion
Sometimes, medical treatments simply don’t work as well as a patient hopes they will. A poor health outcome doesn’t automatically mean that the doctor was negligent, but it is a good idea to be a proactive patient by seeking a second opinion from another medical provider. Be sure to have your medical records transferred to the second provider’s office. If you have any test results or imaging scans, bring those with you to your appointment. Plan to ask plenty of questions and take notes about whether the diagnosis you originally received might have been inaccurate or whether the treatment was inappropriate.

Establishing the Elements of Medical Malpractice
If you have suffered a harmful, unanticipated outcome after medical treatment, it may be time to consult a lawyer about possible legal action. Your attorney will review your case, including your medical records, to determine if all of the elements of medical malpractice are present. These elements are:

• A doctor-patient relationship existed.
• Your doctor gave you sub-standard care.
• The sub-standard care caused your injuries.
• You sustained damages because of the doctor’s negligence.

Understanding the Legal Proceedings
If your lawyer finds that your case has the basis for a lawsuit, it’s time to decide if you wish to move forward. For many patients, legal action allows them to pay their medical bills and meet their future care needs. But it’s important to understand that not all lawsuits are successful. Hiring the right medical malpractice attorney can make all the difference.

At Pegalis & Erickson, LLC, we understand how difficult it can be to make legal decisions in the aftermath of a major injury or illness. Our medical malpractice attorneys on Long Island, New York offer effective legal advocacy services that can help your family move forward. Call us at (516) 684-2900 today to request a free case review.

Managing your medical records is important not only to ensure your doctors have the information they need to provide you with proper care but also so that you can keep track of your medical history and the treatments being provided to you. Being an informed medical care consumer can save your life! You can manage your records both on and offline every time you see a provider.

Start with creating a list of your current medications and updating it every time your dose is changed or you stop and start a medicine. A log of your symptoms will help you have more productive doctor appointments and will ensure you have proof of when symptoms began. Keep visit summaries from your physician visits and make your own notes about each appointment. Research not only the doctors you are seeing, but also the hospitals they are affiliated with, to ensure that you are seeing the best health care providers for your particular conditions. There are many official websites maintained by US state departments of health which give background informaton on doctors, hospitals and other medical providers.

The attorneys at Pegalis & Erickson, LLC can help to assess whether the medical care you received departed from the appropriate standards of care. If you believe you the care you received was not proper call us at (516) 684-2900.

Lake Success, NY, June 2016… Annamarie Bondi-Stoddard, Managing Partner at the law firm of Pegalis & Erickson, LLC, and a Port Washington resident, was re-elected as an officer of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (NYSTLA). Her role will be Treasurer for the 2016 – 2017 year. “It is a privilege to formally link with this group of dedicated attorneys who work to ensure wrongfully injured New Yorkers have access to the civil justice system, and who promote legislation to protect the rights of New Yorkers injured as a result of negligent acts,” said Bondi-Stoddard. NYSTLA’s important initiatives include preserving and enhancing New York’s civil justice system, such as advocating for the passing of Lavern’s Law to protect patient’s rights.

Pegalis & Erickson, LLC, also announces the election of West Hempstead, NY resident Linda M. Oliva, Esq., to President of the Nassau County Women’s Bar Association (NCWBA). Ms. Oliva will serve a one year term as President for the 2016-2017 year. “I’m both honored and proud to serve our women’s bar association. We work to advance the status of women in society and of women in the legal profession,” said Ms. Oliva.

Ms. Bondi-Stoddard is one of a handful of female managing partners on Long Island, NY , and has been widely recognized for her achievements in the area of medical malpractice litigation. Her successful cases include securing a record medical malpractice settlement against NYC Health and Hospitals Corp., for an infant who sustained brain damage at birth as a result of oxygen deprivation and skull fracture. Bondi-Stoddard earned her J.D. from Boston University. The Port Washington, NY, resident joined Pegalis & Erickson, LLC in 1984, became managing attorney in 1986, and was named managing partner in 2001. She is named each year to the New York SuperLawyers and U.S. News and World Report Best Lawyers lists as an attorney who has attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement through a selection process of independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.

Ms. Oliva is an attorney for plaintiffs in medical negligence cases. She manages pretrial litigation and appeals, representing children who have suffered from birth injuries, people of all ages who have experienced surgical complications and cardiovascular medical errors, and women who have suffered health care negligence such as the failure to diagnose and treat breast cancer. Ms. Oliva dedicates considerable time to community services, notably to breast cancer awareness with the Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition, and the Adelphi/New York State Breast Cancer Hotline Creative Cups program. She was named to the New York SuperLawyers lists in 2016, 2015, and 2014 after a selection process of independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.

About Pegalis & Erickson, LLC P& E is a personal injury law firm focused on representing people that suffered medical negligence. US News and World Report named us to their 2016 Best Law Firms list for medical malpractice in New York, and founder Steven Pegalis, as 2016 Lawyer of the Year. In our forty five years of practice, we have helped thousands obtain funds for services they need to survive day-to-day. We are advocates for patient safety and medical accountability to ensure safer medical practices for better patient care. Visit us at PegalisandErickson.com for health news you can use and follow us on Twitter and Facebook .