Systemic Problems In Healthcare Industry Leads To Medical Malpractice

The healthcare industry has clear systemic problems that lead to medical malpractice cases all across the United States. If you live in New Mexico, you have likely been affected by medical malpractice and could very well have a medical malpractice case on your hands. Medical Malpractice cases are common in New Mexico and Albuquerque. Before finding out if you can sue a doctor for medical malpractice, let’s understand why systemic problems in healthcare are contributing to medical malpractice cases.

One significant, systemic problem that exists in our healthcare industry is the profit motive.  For corporations, profit is the reason to exist and allows the business to continue to serve its customers (in this case patients) well into the future. But patients need to be aware not to let profit take priority over their health and well being because you could be in the midst of putting your health in jeopardy. The issue, however, comes when profit becomes more important than the patients themselves.  Like most professions (doctors, lawyers, etc.), there are significant amounts of money that can be earned by both the individual healthcare provider and the healthcare industry. It is also true that a significant amount of money can come from a medical malpractice suit, however you have to be careful that your case is something to legally challenge and not just a complain because you thought something went wrong. But unlike a traditional business where profits are the sole goal, professionals (doctors, lawyers, etc.) owe a fiduciary obligation to their patients and clients. This is why you need to keep an eye out for ethical medical providers to avoid suffering damages from medical malpractice, whether you went in for surgery or something less severe. That means that a provider must put the patient’s interest above their own interests.  When healthcare providers place profits above the care of their patients, medical malpractice can occur. You need to look out for yourself when it comes to systemic problems in the healthcare industry and at all costs avoid providers that clearly have an incentive to bill you and not take care of you professionally.

One way that healthcare providers achieve higher profits is by reducing staffing costs. Fully and appropriately staffing a hospital or other health  facility can be extremely expensive—it is no wonder that administrators charged with managing a facility’s budget are tempted to cut costs by providing the bare minimum of personnel (qualified or otherwise).  The result of reducing, for example, registered nurses is higher inpatient mortality according to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The causes of medical errors in hospitals for patients are many and not always directly related to profits. Sometimes it can be a poorly trained doctor, other times it can simply be a lack of understanding on how to properly treat the patient.

You can sometimes sue a hospital or sue a doctor if they have decided to put profits above your medical needs. Since medical malpractice is very common today, you need to speak to a licensed medical malpractice lawyer to discuss the specifics on whether or not your case has enough validity to challenge unethical medical practices that you may have innocently faced as a result of seeking treatment. It is not right for doctors to take advantage of patients. We are here to fight for you if you have suffered due to medical malpractice in Albuquerque or anywhere in New Mexico.