Just the same as those in other parts of the country, none of our Maryland readers want to be faced with the task of dealing with a medical malpractice lawsuit. However, many people must do this every year as a means of recovering compensation for injuries due to the negligence of a medical professional.
Recently, Diederich Healthcare published its annual report detailing medical malpractice payouts. This information, reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank, goes a long way in showing just how big of a problem medical malpractice has become in the United States. Furthermore, it also shows that payouts vary from state to state.
The amount paid per claim, as well as the number of claims, differs by state. In 2011, there were 308 payouts in Maryland totaling a little more than $91 million. If you compare this to Virginia, where $77 million was paid out over 199 cases, it is easy to see that the average payout is much lower in Maryland. There is no exact reasoning for this, but many believe that it could be related to the fact that in cases of clear malpractice those in Virginia agree to settle for the maximum cap amount. In Maryland, however, doctors may fight, instead of settling, if they are faced with a big payout.
Medical malpractice, such as errors in hospitals and medication errors, can happen at any time in any state throughout the country. That being said, the way that these lawsuits are handled, including the settlement amount, differs from one location to the next.
