Personal Injury Law

Patients and Victims of Medical Malpractice See Huge Delays in Medical Records Processing

By Steven M. Levin and John J. Perconti

One of the greatest organizational problems facing hospitals today is the battle over medical records. Many patients find that it can take months or years to get a hold of their own medical records after treatment. Even worse, some families of victims of medical malpractice or wrongful death have waited for years to obtain their loved one?s medical records from hospitals. Often, lost or missing records are simply part of hospital error and not a deliberate attempt to delay, but on some occasions hospitals may frustrate a patient?s records request purposefully. Patients and victims? families must be aware that statutes of limitation often require that medical malpractice lawsuits be filed within a certain period of time after the injury occurs or is discovered. This means that patients and victims? families must decide to file a medical malpractice lawsuit and contact their medical malpractice attorney as soon as possible and begin the medical records request process.

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Full post as published by Illinois Medical Malpractice Blog on April 30, 2008 (boomark / email).