Chicago is home to some of the best hospitals in the region—if not the country. When you visit a hospital like Good Shepherd, you assume that doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers will provide you or your loved one with the care you need. However, what happens if a physician makes a mistake? Where can you turn for help?

The fact is that medical errors are a leading cause of death and injury in the United States. In fact, according to some estimates, medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death behind cancer and heart disease. If you or a loved one suffered serious or worsening injuries after receiving treatment at Good Shepherd Hospital, it may have been due to medical malpractice.

At the Chicago medical malpractice law firm of Briskman, Briskman & Greenberg, we proudly represent patients and their family members in all types of medical negligence cases and have done so since 1987. Over this time, we’ve developed a deep understanding of this complex area of the law, enabling us to recover significant compensation on behalf of our clients.

About Good Shepherd Hospital

Good Shepherd Hospital is found in Lake County, Illinois. The hospital is a faith-based, nonprofit hospital that employs over 700 doctors. The hospital has 176 patient beds and is known for its cancer program, cardiac care and outpatient services. Good Shepherd Hospital is owned by Advocate Medical Group, one of the largest nonprofit hospital operators in the United States.

Good Shepherd Hospital is located at: 450 West Highway 22, Barrington, IL 60010

Whether you were wrongly injured in an accident or faced negligence pre-surgery or post-surgery, your best option is to contact an experienced lawyer in the Cook County neighborhood. Speak with a Briskman, Briskman & Greenberg attorney today at 877-595-4878.

What Is Medical Malpractice?

Medical malpractice refers to a type of personal injury lawsuit based on a patient’s injuries resulting from inadequate medical care. Medical malpractice cases cover all types of healthcare issues. The basis of a medical malpractice claim is that the treatment provided by the healthcare professional fell below the generally accepted standard of care in that particular specialty.

All healthcare providers owe a duty to their patients. Of course, no provider can guarantee a positive outcome for every patient; however, they must render care that is appropriate and up to the standards of the profession. Negligence from primary care doctors, pharmacists, surgeons, oncologists, nurses, and other medical staff members can cause serious life altering injuries.

Some common examples of medical malpractice cases include:

• Birth injuries;
• Failure to take a patient’s history into account;
• Inadequate follow-up treatment;
• Misdiagnoses and delayed diagnoses;
• Misreading test or lab results;
• Prescription mistakes; and
• Surgical errors.

Proving a Case of Medical Malpractice

In some ways, a medical malpractice case is similar to a traditional personal injury claim in that you must prove a healthcare provider violated a duty of care they owed to you and that their breach of the duty resulted in your injuries. However, medical malpractice cases are also more complex. Unlike some other types of personal injury cases, these claims often involve matters that require advanced knowledge of medicine.

For example, how would an average juror know how to assess the care a doctor provided to the patient without a medical background. For this reason, anyone who wants to pursue a medical malpractice case against Good Shepherd Hospital must submit an affidavit of merit.

An affidavit of merit is a statement from a healthcare professional who practices in the same field as the defendant healthcare provider, indicating that they believe your claim has merit. The Chicago medical professional must state in the affidavit that there is reasonable merit that medical malpractice occurred and that there was a breach of care. After the Briskman Briskman & Greenberg team establishes that the lack of attentiveness and care resulted in serious personal injuries, we will move forward with your case.

Damages in a Medical Malpractice Case Against Good Shepherd Hospital

Medical malpractice cases vary widely in terms of the injuries a patient suffers. In some situations, a doctor’s mistake may be caught early on, and the patient avoids serious injury. However, often, medical negligence causes severe, lifelong injuries that may not ever heal completely. For example, a patient whose doctor fails to diagnose cancer may miss out on months of potentially life-saving or life-extending treatment. Thus, the damages in medical malpractice cases vary significantly; however, in general, you can recover for all economic and non-economic damages stemming from the incident of malpractice.

Economic damages are those focused on compensating you for the out-of-pocket expenses you incurred due to the provider’s negligence. For example, economic damages include:
• Past medical bills,
• Future medical expenses,
• Lost wages, and
• Decrease in your ability to earn income.

Non-economic damages are quite different in that they provide you with compensation for the emotional and psychological impact the incident had on your life. Examples of non-economic damages include:
• Pain and suffering;
• Disability;
• Disfigurement;
• Emotional anguish; and
• Loss of enjoyment of life.

To prove economic damages, your medical malpractice lawyer will typically present evidence of your actual losses, for example, by presenting receipts, bills and proof of income. Unlike many other states, there are no damages caps in Illinois. This means that the judge or jury can award whatever amount of damages they deem appropriate.

Contact a Good Shepherd Hospital Medical Malpractice Attorney Today

If you or a loved one was recently treated at Good Shepherd Hospital in Lake County, IL, and suffered new or worsening injuries, they may have been due to medical negligence. At Briskman Briskman & Greenberg, our dedicated team of Chicago medical malpractice lawyers offers compassionate yet aggressive representation to the victims of medical malpractice.

We offer free consultations to all prospective clients and are available to meet you at Good Shepherd Hospital or any other area hospital. As part of the Briskman Guarantee, we will never bill you for our services unless we can help you recover compensation for your injuries.

To learn more, and to schedule a free consultation with one of our Good Shepherd medical malpractice lawyers, give us a call at 877-595-4878. You can also reach us through our online contact form.