Welcome to the Raleigh Medical Malpractice Homepage for Hardison & Cochran. Our firm handles medical malpractice cases, with a special concentration in obstetrics, surgical malpractice, and failure to diagnose cancer claims.

In handling medical malpractice claims, lawyers quickly learn that the success of the case depends upon the network of experts in the medical and legal field who can work with a firm and the case during its investigation and handling of medical malpractice claims. We have made sure our network of experts is available to assist you in the pursuit of your claim.

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), more than 225,000 people die each year due to medical errors, becoming the third-leading cause of death in the United States:

• 12,000 deaths/year from unnecessary surgery

• 7,000 deaths/year from medication errors in hospitals
• 20,000 deaths/year from other errors in hospitals
• 80,000 deaths/year from nosocomial infections in hospitals
• 106,000 deaths/year from nonerror, adverse effects of medications

In order to establish that medical malpractice occurred, the plaintiff must prove that the physician involved in his care deviated from the accepted standard of practice for that type of medicine. It is important to note that this does not mean that just because another physician would have done something differently that the defendant breached the standard of care. The plaintiff has to prove that no reasonable physician in that specialty would have done it that way. An error in judgment is not malpractice.

As a general rule, medical malpractice lawsuits require expert testimony. The litigation is very complex, as are the medical issues involved. Significant experience in handling complex medical malpractice litigation can be essential to increasing the odds of a deserving plaintiff prevailing at trial.

Although laws vary from state to state, medical malpractice suits generally arise against:

•  A government agency that operates hospitals or provides specified medical care.

•  A hospital for administering improper or overdoses of medication, negligent nursing care, inadequate sanitation, infection, or equipment failure.

•  A physician, who in the general practice of medicine, deviate from the general accepted standards of practice in the community.

•  A medical specialist who deviates from a nationally accepted standard of practice for specialists in that field of medicine.

Medical malpractice suits against physicians most commonly occur under the following circumstances:

• Delayed diagnosis of a medical condition, or failure to diagnose the patient’s condition altogether.

• A correct diagnosis, but failure to treat the medical condition properly.

• Failure to perform a surgical procedure properly.

•  Failure to obtain informed consent from the patient before performing the procedure or operating.

At Hardison & Cochran, we have learned that to take on hospitals and doctors, substantial resources are necessary. We have the resources, and the size and strength necessary to go the distance for our clients. Please contact our offices today by telephoning 1-800-434-8399 or via e-mail.