Who You Can Sue for Medical Malpractice

Were you recently the victim of medical malpractice? Perhaps you saw a physician to help you with a health problem, and came out with one or two more. You should never be accountable for such a situation, so who should be held accountable? It can get tricky if you don’t understand medical malpractice, which is why contacting a lawyer to assist you should be the first thing you do.
The Hospital
You can sue a hospital for medical malpractice if the staff was negligent in providing you a certain standard of care. Hospitals are required to make reasonable inquiry into the training and licensing of any staff professionals they hire. This includes doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses and other medical staff. If someone is injured by one of those staff members and an investigation shows the hospital did not make reasonable inquiry on that professional, that could be a reason to sue.
Hospitals are also required to have a certain number of staff members clocked in at all times of the day and night. If someone is injured or becomes ill during a time at which there was not adequate staff, the hospital could get sued.
A Physician
In many hospitals, physicians are contracted for their services. Rather than being actual employees, they employ themselves and essentially “rent” space at the hospital. While the hospital does still have a duty to complete a reasonable inquiry, the hospital can often not be held liable in a situation in which one of these contracted physicians causes illness or injury. Instead, you would sue the physician him- or herself.
A Pharmaceutical Company
Pharmaceutical companies have a duty to ensure drug safety when used properly. They have to know and understand risks, side effects and dosage information, and accurately portray that to pharmacists and physicians. If a drug is put on the market before these things are done and an individual becomes injured or ill because of it, the pharmaceutical company may be sued. If the pharmaceutical company did everything necessary, but the individual still became sick, it would be worth looking into the prescribing physician and whether the medication should have been given to that particular patient.
Contacting an Attorney
If you were injured or became sick at the hands of a medical professional, you don’t have to figure it out on your own. When you feel you could have a case for medical malpractice, contact a medical malpractice attorney today to learn all you can about your specific situation.