The suspicion that a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or medical organization may have committed malpractice in your treatment is worrying. Once you suspect something might be wrong, you need to take the following steps to determine if it was malpractice and how to proceed.

Track Everything  

Ideally, you were already keeping tabs on bills, reports, scans, and other documentation. If you weren't start doing so now. Even if your insurance provider already covered something, track the bills associated with it that show what the insurer and you each paid.

You should also document the dates of different visits, procedures, and even prescriptions. When in doubt, keep and copy an item. It is better to have more than you need to file a claim or sue than to not have enough.

Speak With a Medical Malpractice Attorney

A typical medical malpractice lawyer will offer a low-cost or free initial consultation. Given the low expense of just discussing the case, you should speak with a medical malpractice attorney early in the process. Even if you're 90% sure that you're not going to file a claim, that last 10% matters. You don't want to risk potentially losing the right to compensation because you waited until after the statute of limitations to file. Something horrible and undiagnosed could pop up months or years from now so it's better to explore your legal options immediately.

Consult With Specialists

If you don't know where to turn for specialized advice, a medical malpractice lawyer usually knows several people in each field to consult. Visit a specialist and tell them what you roughly think is wrong. Describe the procedure in detail so they have a good starting point to look for problems. Also, mention any conditions you had before the procedure and any that developed after. Even if something seems unrelated, it's good to hear what a specialist might say.

Report the Incident

Many jurisdictions require victims to report suspected medical malpractice if they intend to file insurance claims or lawsuits. A medical malpractice attorney can tell you what the rules are where you live. Victims usually need to report the incident to the defendant's governing board.

Be Patient and Try to Recover Physically

Pursuing a medical malpractice claim is a process. Your medical malpractice lawyer should handle most of the work. You should try your best to focus on your physical recovery. Not only is this good for your health, but learning how far you're likely or not to recover will support your case.