Stories of doctors having non-consensual sex with patients as well as committing various types of medical malpractice are not unheard of in today’s world. In fact, we hear so many of these stories that you may feel unsafe during a regular trip to your doctor’s office.
So is there any reason to fear your treating physician? Should you really be sending a text message to your friends and relatives saying “I’m out and I’m alive!” the second you walk out of a doctor’s office?
Luckily for you, you can conduct a background check on your doctor so you can stop jumping in your seat whenever your physician takes off his coat or touches you to measure your heartbeat or pulse.
Has your doctor been sued for medical malpractice in the past?
First and foremost, it is never a bad idea to check if your treating physician is someone you should be afraid of. A study by USA Today showed that many doctors who have been previously accused of unprofessional conduct or medical malpractice in one state have no problem practicing in other states, potentially exposing to harm patients in those states.
According to the USA Today study, a large number of doctors across many states in the U.S. have surrendered their licenses in one state in order to protect their reputations and relocate to another state, where they are allowed to practice and face no professional penalties.
Our Hawaii medical malpractice attorney at Kurzban, Kurzban, Tetzeli and Pratt, P.A. says it is a good idea to learn more about your doctor to know who is treating you. If your treating physician has previously harmed another patient, there is a risk you could be harmed as well.
Contrary to the popular belief, there are plenty of ways to access public accusations, investigation, and even discipline of doctors of various specialties across the nation.
How a Hawaii medical malpractice attorney can help
More often than not, there are limited records available about doctors and physicians unless you are legally represented by an experienced medical malpractice attorney in Hawaii who has access to a wider range of records.
The first thing you should do to conduct a background check on your doctor is to visit the medical board in your state (most medical boards have websites where they provide records of doctors). If you know that your treating physician used to work in another state or holds a license in another state, check that state’s medical board as well.
Also, you might be able to dig something into your doctor by checking the Federation of State Medical Boards. Googling your doctor’s name might also be a good idea to see if his or her name ever turned up in the news, social media, or public forums.
A background check can prevent medical malpractice
Only a Hawaii medical malpractice attorney can check whether or not your doctor has been sued for unprofessional conduct, sexual abuse of patients, and other types of medical malpractice.
Oftentimes, doctors who have been previously sued for medical malpractice are more likely to commit medical errors again. They say the vast majority of medical errors could have been prevented. And our medical malpractice lawyers at Kurzban, Kurzban, Tetzeli and Pratt, P.A. – Hawaii personal injury law firmcould not agree more, as conducting a background check on your doctor and refusing to be treated by him or her, if he or she has been sued or accused of misconduct by other patients in the past can indeed prevent an injury or harm.
Get a free consultation from our lawyers by calling at 808-736-5035 today.