Rhode Island Medical Malpractice Legal Questions

A "failure to diagnose" claim may be successful if the failure to diagnose violated the applicable standard of care and resulted in damages that would not have resulted if the failure to diagnose had not occured. In a case such as yours we would normally submit your medical records to an independant medical expert for their opinion as to whether or not missing the lymphoma in the scans caused you damage or injury you would not have otherwise sustained.  Merely missing the diagnosis would not be sufficient basis for a claim if you would be in the same or substantially the same position even if the diagnosis had not been missed. I have been successful with these types of cases.... Read More

Dental malpractice cases are difficult to prosecute for a malpractice attorney because they are usually not financially viable. Medical malpractice cases are very costly and time-consuming.  Therefore, in most circumstances a patient must have suffered a significant permanent injury as a result of medical negligence for the case to be financially viable. Often, damage caused by dental malpractice can be remedied with additional care. Further, lasting damage is usually not significant enough to warrant the time and expense of a lawsuit. There are exceptions to this (for example trigeminal nerve injury cases). Additionally, since different offices have different standards for whether a case is worth prosecuting, if you are interested in pursuing this further you should contact a local medical malpractice attorney (one in your state).  They take these cases on a contingency basis which means you only have to pay if you succeed.  Additionally, initial consultations are usually free. You can use the "Find a Lawyer" service through this website to research medical malpractice attorneys.  Then, visit each attorney's website and look for a firm that has a record of successful verdicts.  Below are some articles you may find helpful.  They are written for a New Jersey audience (where I practice) but the ideas discussed in these articles usually apply in most other jurisdictions as well. Click here for an article that discusses the three main questions I ask when deciding whether to investigate a potential medical malpractice case. This discusses the issue of financial viability. Click here for an article that explains what you can expect when filing a medical malpractice case. Click here and here for more information about me. Please note that by attempting to answer your question, I am not acting as your attorney. I will do nothing further to protect or preserve your interests in the absence of any additional discussion with you about this matter. John Ratkowitz, Esq. Starr, Gern, Davison & Rubin, P.C. 105 Eisenhower Parkway Roseland, NJ 07068 Office: (973) 830-8441 Cell: (732) 616-6278 Fax: (973) 226-0031 Email: jratkowitz@starrgern.com  Skype: john_ratkowitz Web: www.starrgern.com. ... Read More