Information and Insight for Injured Iowans

     Despite the multitude of information concerning medical malpractice, there is confusion about what malpractice entails and the effects it can have on the Iowa medical system. Educating yourself is the first way to protect yourself and your family from the misconceptions surrounding medical malpractice.
     “Medical malpractice” is a term used to describe a situation where a health care provider-like a doctor or a nurse- makes a medical error that results in serious harm to a patient. Medical malpractice can come in many shapes and sizes- a missed diagnosis, a delay in treatment, or an improper technique. Malpractice can happen at any stage of medical treatment and is not limited to just hospital care. Doctors’ offices, dentists’ chairs and chiropractors’ tables are all places where medical malpractice can occur.
Medical malpractice is surprisingly common. According to the National Academies of Science, as many as 98,000 Americans die from medical errors each year, and studies have shown that one in three Americans say that they or a family member have been a victim of an error during medical treatment.
     While medical malpractice is common, medical malpractice lawsuits are not common in Iowa. Despite what you have no doubt heard, medical malpractice lawsuits are not clogging up Iowa’s courts and medical malpractice verdicts in Iowa are not growing out of control. Here are the facts:

• Between 2002 and 2006, the number of medical malpractice claims in Iowa fell by 29%.
• Between 1992 and 2005, the total number of jury trials in Iowa fell by 38%.
• In the last decade, the average payment per settled medical malpractice claim was about $27,500.

     Why do so many people have mistaken beliefs about the medical malpractice system? Special interests like the insurance industry, HMOs, and drug companies have mounted multi-million dollar campaigns against the civil justice system and your Constitutional right to trial by jury. It is not difficult to understand why. Misinformation about an ever-increasing number of medical malpractice lawsuits that drive up the cost of medical care serves to poison juries and makes it difficult for a true malpractice victim to get justice in our courts.
     To learn more about medical malpractice claims in Iowa, go to Iowa Malpractice Facts to download a free 35-page guide.