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As a patient, you want to ensure that you are receiving the best possible medical care. But, not all physicians can offer the standard of care that you would expect. Before selecting a new provider or even a specialist, you should do your homework and see what types of professional actions have been taken against him or her – especially in terms of medical malpractice claims.

Few things can decrease a physician’s credibility more than malpractice claims. However, not all physicians with medical malpractice claims are poor-quality physicians. Sometimes, there were errors or omissions on their part that led to a patient’s injury – but not necessarily a chronic problem with that physician or his or her level of treatment. Doctors who have faced a malpractice claim in their lifetime often have a 75 percent lower risk for future claims. In a way, these claims help highlight the problems in their practice, so that they can become better physicians – and provide better care to patients in the future.

That being said, there are still those physicians who continue to fail to provide a standard level of care, and patients should be aware of these physicians before seeking treatment through them. Luckily, there are several ways to identify which physicians are at a high-risk for malpractice.

Doing Your Research: Identifying Malpractice Claims

You have a few methods at your disposal for identifying whether your physician has had a medical malpractice claim filed against him or her. These include:

1. The State Medical Board – The state of Connecticut has its own board that licenses physicians to practice in the state. These boards will handle disciplinary actions brought against the physician – including any suspensions or revocations of his or her medical license. You can take a look at the state’s medical licensing board for free to see any current or resolved complaints against your physician. You can also see if he or she has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, and any malpractice claims (and their outcomes).
2. The State Department of Health – You can also contact the local state department of health before checking into a local hospital. Here, you can see what complaints have been made against that hospital, as well as any grades it has received.
3. Court Records – These are not as easy to obtain, and if the details of the malpractice claim were not disclosed, then you will not see them when you do a records search. However, if your doctor has been sued, there will be a record of it. You can contact the County Clerk’s office to request any information on your physician (if there is any available).

Are You the Victim of Malpractice?

When you file a medical malpractice claim against a negligent physician, you are holding him or her accountable for these actions, but also ensuring that he or she does not commit similar errors in the future. As an injured patient, you will have plenty of questions, and may wonder if you are eligible for compensation. The best way to find out is to contact a Connecticut medical malpractice attorney. Contact Berkowitz and Hanna LLC today to schedule a no-obligation case evaluation.  Contact us online to get started.