Jackson Medical Malpractice Attorneys
When a preventable medical error results in injury in Mississippi we are here for you
Doctors, being human, make mistakes just as we all do. But doctors owe a duty of care to their patients which, if broken, can provide grounds for the patients to take legal action against them. Patients generally do not want to sue their doctor. You trust your doctor to give you the right answer when something is going wrong with your health and put you back together after an injury. When a doctor fails to comply with the accepted standard of care for their specialty and it results in patient harm, the injured patient deserves the best legal assistance available when they are in pursuit of justice for their injuries.
At Merkel & Cocke, P.A., our Jackson medical malpractice lawyers represent those who have suffered injuries because of medication errors, surgical mistake, a birth injury, or misdiagnosis that led to further harm. We are here to fight on your behalf for the compensation you deserve after an injury at the hands of a medical professional.
Experienced legal representation for medical malpractice injury cases
There are many ways in which a person can be harmed in a health care setting. The following are a few examples of the typical kinds of medical malpractice cases we handle in our practice:
- Misdiagnosis/diagnostic error. A physician might confuse your symptoms and diagnose a disease and treat that wrong diagnosis while the actual underlying condition is going untreated and deteriorating the patient's health.
- Medication errors. Giving the wrong medicine to the wrong patient, the incorrect dosage, or the wrong medication to the correct patient because of a prescription mix-up can cause serious injury or death.
- Surgical mistakes. Wrong patient, wrong site surgical errors, retained medical tools, accidental perforation of neighboring organs and other surgical mistakes can cause significant patient harm.
- Birth injuries such as brachial plexus palsy, shoulder dystocia, spinal cord injuries or HIE (Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy) can have a lasting impact on the health and wellbeing of a baby. We represent parents whose children have been injured during the birth process.
- Emergency room errors, whether they were made by the emergency room doctor or an emergency medical technician (EMT), can lead to catastrophic health problems or death for patients who receive negligent care form an emergency medicine doctor or other healthcare professional.
What is your local hospital's safety grade?
Nonprofit healthcare advocate Leapfrog has created Hospital Safety Grades for about 2,500 general acute-care hospitals throughout the United States twice yearly--in the spring and in the fall. Using a combination of national performance measures form the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, (CMS), the Leapfrog Hospital survey, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Hospital Association’s Annual Survey and Health Information Technology Supplement to produce a letter grade which represents the hospital's overall performance in hospital safety. The Hospital Safety Grade includes 27 different measures, their methodology has been peer reviewed and published in the Journal of Patient Safety.
Mississippi Baptist Medical Center Score: B
This hospital had problems with hospital acquired infections such as MRSA, C. difficile, blood infections, urinary tract infections and surgical site infections.
University Hospitals and Health System, University of Mississippi Medical Center Score: C
This hospital had problems with infections, problems with surgery including dangerous object left in patient's body, surgical wound splits open, death from serious, treatable complications and other serious patient safety violations.
St. Dominic-Jackson Memorial Hospital Score: A
While this hospital received an A rating, they could improve in problems with surgery and urinary tract infections.
Merit Health Central Score: D
This hospital scored poorly in the areas of infections, problems with surgery, lack of practices to prevent errors, dangerous bed sores, patient falls, communication with doctors and nurses, and the responsiveness of hospital staff.
Merit Health River Oaks Score: B
This hospital declined to report about some of their practices to prevent errors, they had problems with communication between doctors and nurses and responsiveness of hospital staff.
Merit Health River Region Score: D
This hospital had problems in several areas including problems with surgery, MRSA, and blood infection, they declined to report about their process for ordering medications through a computer, handwashing practices, communications about medicines, communication about discharge and how the staff works together to prevent errors. They had safety problems such as dangerous bed sores, and problems with communication with doctors and nurses.
As a health care consumer, it is important to understand that not every unsatisfactory outcome rises to the level of medical malpractice. When you suspect that the harm you suffered was a result of medical malpractice, you can contact a Jackson medical malpractice lawyer from Merkel & Cocke, who provide compassionate client care, and aggressive representation regardless of how complicated the case.
If you were hurt because of medical negligence in or around Jackson, MS, call us
You look to your doctor to make you feel better, but when they injure you instead you need dependable legal representation. We advance the costs of your claim so that you can focus on healing and getting back to your life. We serve injured clients throughout the state of Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas. You are welcome to call us at 662-627-9641 or complete our contact form to schedule free consultation at Merkel & Cocke’s Jackson office right away.
Types of Cases We Handle
Our Oxford attorneys handle a variety of cases, including:
Jackson Office
622 Duling Avenue
Suite 221
Jackson, MS 39216
Phone: (601) 653-1103