A lot goes into choosing the right doctor to perform your medical procedure. A doctor’s experience can be reassuring, but this is not a guarantee that he or she will not make a mistake during the procedure and cause you to suffer an injury. A doctor’s familiarity with current technology available in his or her field and approach to handling cases like your can also indicate his or her likelihood of making an error, but remember, these are also just possible links, not guarantees of any specific result.

Choosing the right doctor to perform your procedure requires research on your part. Take the following steps to determine your comfort level and trust in each prospective doctor before you choose who will treat you.

Make Use of Physician Review Websites

There are numerous websites patients can use to read reviews of doctors. These include yelp.com and healthgrades.com. You should also visit the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation’s website to look up each doctor’s licensing history. Having a malpractice claim on his or her record does not necessarily mean a doctor is incompetent – many doctors face such claims at some point in their careers. Multiple malpractice claims and suspended licenses can be red flags, though.

Talk to Multiple Specialists Before Choosing the One to Perform your Procedure

One doctor might have very different ideas about your case than another and both can be equally valid. Before committing to working with one doctor, interview one or two others in the same specialty to hear their opinions and proposed treatment plans. They might have very similar opinions and plans or they could vary widely, in which case it is best that you obtain more opinions to get a strong consensus. When you file a malpractice claim, you allege that your doctor acted in a manner that another doctor would not reasonably have pursued. Understanding various doctors’ proposed treatments for your case can make it easier to determine if malpractice occurred.

Consider Each Doctor’s Team and Hospital

Take a look at the reviews for the hospital where each doctor works as well. Some hospitals have much higher infection and readmittance rates than others. Issues like medication mix-ups, lost patient information, and complications of poor follow up care can all fall on a hospital or its staff’s shoulders, rather than the doctor who performs the patient’s procedure.

Work with an Experienced Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyer

Working with the right doctor for your procedure can dramatically decrease your chance of suffering from a medical error. Remember, your doctor is not the only healthcare professional who will be involved in your procedure and follow up care. The hospital where your procedure is performed and its staff can have an important impact on your well being and safety. If you suffer from an act of malpractice on the part of any of the professionals involved in your procedure, consider working with our team of experienced medical malpractice lawyers at Baizer Kolar, P.C. Contact our firm today to schedule your initial consultation with us.