When doctors take the Hippocratic oath they swear to “first do no harm.” When doctors do not live up to that, you are injured as a result. People in this dilemma need assistance from a medical malpractice attorney to review their potential claim. The more information you provide the attorney, the better claim review you will have. Getting help is the first step. Once you have a medical malpractice consultation, the best way to get the most out of it is to remember the phrase MED, which stands for Medical records, Explanation and Dates of service.

Medical records are the most important piece of evidence in determining if you have a claim. Although it is not required you have medical records at your initial consultation, having them is advantageous. Patients have a legal right to obtain copies of their medical records at little or no cost. If a patient needs the records for continuing care, they should be provided free of charge. Medical records give the consulting attorney a deeper understanding of your potential claim. Having these records readily available speeds up the overall investigative process. We recommend you get these records on a CD or PDF format for easy access.

Your story is extremely important, so Explain to the attorney in as much detail as possible what occurred. We recommend you write a narrative or timeline of events in question. Give names of providers, dates of the incident, medical procedures, surgery dates, comments made to you by providers and date of death, if applicable.

The Dates of service, injury or death are crucial to analyzing your potential claim. THERE IS A STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS AS TO HOW LONG YOU HAVE TO FILE A MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CLAIM. If you intend to pursue any claim against a health care provider or facility, you must do so within two (2) years from the date of the alleged medical malpractice, or two (2) years from the date you discovered, or should have discovered, the alleged medical malpractice, not to exceed four (4) years from the date of the incident. The Statute of Limitations for a claim for wrongful death is two (2) years from the date of death. So, if you believe you have a potential medical malpractice claim, regardless of what your current situation is, do not delay!

Call us today at 1-800-332-1992 for a free consultation and remember MED!