One of the most common reasons North Carolina medical malpractice lawsuits are filed stems from surgeon or their medical teams leaving foreign objects in patients’ bodies following a procedure. Such errors occur in 1 out of every 5,500 surgeries that take place and can lead to pain, inflammation, infection, and possibly death.
Experts have found that increasing accountability among medical staff is one of the best ways to prevent these types of errors from occurring, but some say our state’s laws are undermining the ability to achieve this goal. WSOCTV News reports current policy not only limits the amount in damages for pain and suffering a victim of North Carolina medical malpractice can receive to $500,000, it also permits hospitals to essentially hide their errors from the public through what is known as a confidentiality agreement.
A confidentiality agreement is often included as part of a settlement a hospital reaches with an injured patient in order to prevent the case from going to trial. Lawmakers are currently trying to pass a bill that would prevent confidentiality agreements from being made without the permission of a judge.
Arbitration agreements are also used to prevent patients from filing medical malpractice claims. Signing such a document can strip a patient of their rights, so the North Carolina personal injury lawyers with HensonFuerst encourage citizens to never sign such an agreement without seeking legal counsel first. We are available anytime to answer questions you may have.
