Can I Expedite the Process of My Medical Malpractice Claim?

Being a victim of medical malpractice is devastating. Not only can it result in serious health problems, but it can also leave you facing big medical bills and weeks or months of lost paychecks if you are unable to work due to your illness or injury.

It’s common for medical malpractice victims to want to move forward with their lives as quickly as possible. Many victims can hasten their physical recoveries by following their doctors’ orders as closely as possible, but did you know it’s also often possible to expedite your financial recovery, too?

In this blog, we explore eight ways you can speed up the legal process when filing a medical malpractice claim against a negligent healthcare provider or facility.

8 Steps to Speed Up Your Medical Malpractice Claim

Speeding up a medical malpractice claim can be challenging due to its complexity, but these steps can help move the process along:

1. Hire an experienced Ohio medical malpractice attorney. They can navigate the process efficiently, keep track of deadlines, anticipate potential delays, and take proactive steps to keep your case on track. The sooner you contact a lawyer, the faster your claim can start and the higher your chances of success. That’s because evidence will be more readily available and witness statements will be more accurate closer to the date that the malpractice occurred.
2. Gather all relevant medical records and documentation as soon as possible. Provide your attorney with a complete medical history, detailed notes of medical visits, treatments, and interactions, and a journal documenting symptoms, emotional distress, and the impact on your daily life. Your attorney will be able to gather most of these documents for you, but you may need to provide some that they don’t have or can’t access.
3. Be responsive and communicative with your attorney. Your attorney will have questions for you throughout the legal process, and you also may need to complete and sign forms and documents. The quicker you complete these steps, the faster your attorney can build and settle your medical malpractice claim.
4. Follow your new doctor’s orders. While you should not continue seeing the doctor who harmed you, getting treatment for your injuries or illness caused by medical malpractice is important not only for protecting your health, but also for building evidence for your claim through medical records. These records can definitively link your health problems to malpractice, which can speed up the negotiation and settlement process.
5. Avoid discussing your claim on social media. Medical malpractice claims are highly sensitive matters, and insurance companies look for any and all ways to avoid paying settlements. They often use victims’ social media posts against them, including seemingly unrelated posts or pictures to paint a picture that their injuries or illnesses aren’t serious or are unrelated to their previous medical treatment.
6. Explore alternative dispute resolution methods. Using options like mediation or arbitration can potentially resolve your claim faster than going to trial. Your attorney can advise you on whether these are good options for your medical malpractice case.
7. Listen to your lawyer’s advice during the negotiation phase. Your attorney may be able to secure a settlement before filing a lawsuit, which could save you significant time. Settlements are typically preferred by everyone involved, including insurance companies, as they offer quick resolutions and fewer expenses. However, don’t take the first settlement offered! Your lawyer will help you determine if a settlement is fair.
8. Push back on insurance company delays. Insurance companies frequently stall in the hopes that victims will simply give up, but it’s important to stand your ground. When facts and evidence are on your side, it’s easier to hold negligent healthcare providers and facilities accountable for their mistakes—and their insurers will have no choice but to pay a fair settlement.

Getting Fair Compensation Is More Important Than a Quick Resolution

When you’re a victim of medical malpractice, you’re under enough stress already due to your new or worsened health problems. The addition of expensive medical bills and lost wages can make you want a settlement as quickly as possible. And while a reasonably fast settlement is important, a fair settlement is the true goal after a medical malpractice incident.

In Ohio, medical malpractice victims can only seek compensation once for a specific instance of negligent care. Unfortunately, it’s common for victims to accept fast settlements only to later realize they need significantly more money for their malpractice-related expenses. But because they took the first settlement they were offered, they’re stuck with whatever amount of money they received.

At Nurenberg Paris, it’s our goal to ensure our clients get paid quickly and in full when negligent medical professionals and facilities harm them. We’ll closely advise you on all settlement offers you receive to help you better understand when or if they’re enough money to cover your current and future medical malpractice-related expenses. And if you never receive a fair settlement offer, we won’t hesitate to take your case to trial.

Contact Our Ohio Medical Malpractice Lawyers for a Free Consultation

The healthcare industry let you down when you became a victim of medical malpractice. We understand your disappointment and frustration, and we want to help. Since 1928, we’ve assisted countless Ohioans who were injured through others’ negligence, and we want to help you, too.

Contact us anytime for a free consultation. We know you’ve got enough expenses to worry about, and that’s why you’ll never see a single bill from us unless we get you money. That’s our No Fee Guarantee®. Call now to learn how we can help.

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