Veteran Medical Malpractice Settlement Trends Released in Recent Reports Point to Problematic Care, Law Firm Says
Killeen, TX (PRWEB) November 22, 2013 -- New details regarding rising veterans hospital medical malpractice settlements disclosed in recent reports, point to a trend in the quality of care our veterans are receiving, The Carlson Law Firm said.
An investigation, by Cox Media, which showed a startling rise in veteran medical malpractice claims and settlements was recently released, provoking the law firm to challenge our military community and advocates to take a closer look at veteran health care and the way malpractice claims are handled, the Carlson Law Firm said.
“Many of our attorneys are former JAG officers and many of our employees and clients are members of our military community here in Fort Hood,” Managing Partner Craig Carlson said. “We are very passionate about the care of our military members and veterans and this is an issue that definitely hits home with our firm and our community.”
According to the investigation, taxpayers footed the bill for more than $800 million in settlements from veteran medical malpractice claims since 2003, none of which came from the Veterans Affair budget. But despite where the dollars for settlements are derived from, questions surrounding the quality of care veterans are receiving coincide with the rising number of claims against the VA.
Simple procedures have emerged in the news, drawing attention to the injuries, pain and even death experienced by some veterans at the hands of negligent medical providers.
“It’s heart wrenching to see our veterans return from wartime situations and come back healthy and unscathed and then they endure injuries and even death resulting from negligent medical care,” Carlson said. “I cannot even imagine how difficult that must be for our veterans and their families.”
In the civilian world, medical providers and the facilities they operate from are held fiscally responsible for their mistakes, sometimes keeping them in check because of the financial repercussions accompanying medical malpractice.
“When you have experienced horrific and preventable injuries as a result of negligent medical care, the financial compensation doesn’t erase the pain, the suffering and the long term necessity of treatment required in the future,” Carlson noted. “But lawsuits and settlements often hold those medical providers and facilities responsible so that maybe in the future medical professionals are more careful, they have better training, their backgrounds are researched more extensively and VA facilities are more responsive to the serious nature of giving our veterans the best treatment and care possible.”
For more information about Managing Partner Craig Carlson and the veteran medical malpractice attorneys at The Carlson Law Firm, call 800-359-5690 or visit http://www.carlsonmedicalmalpracticeattorneys.com/
Carissa Hampton, The Carlson Law Firm, http://www.carlsonattorneys.com, +1 (800) 359-5690, [email protected]
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