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The Journal of Patient Safety estimates that preventable medical errors are responsible for between 200,000 and 400,000 patient deaths every year in American hospitals. Medical malpractice cases can happen anywhere, from small regional clinics to world-renowned research hospitals. If you live in New York, however, there’s good reason to be especially wary of medical negligence.

According to a study conducted by Bay Alarm Medical, New York has the most malpractice cases per capita of any state in the country. Study’s findings were based on an analysis of 10 years of medical malpractice statistics from the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB).

The study also listed the worst states for the five most common types of malpractice: cases related to diagnosis, surgery, treatment, obstetrics and medication. New York ranked in the bottom 5 in 4 of the 5 categories. New Jersey received similarly bad marks – coming in just behind New York at number 2 overall.

There was one piece of good news for the Empire State. When the authors of the study analyzed changes in the data over time, they found that malpractice rates have fallen in the past decade. In fact, malpractice rates nationwide are generally lower than they were 10 years ago. Nonetheless, the study’s authors noted that “the number of cases that lead to death or permanent injury is alarming.”

Here at Ask 4 Sam, our experienced attorneys are doing their part to hold physicians in New York accountable for their actions. If you’ve been the victim of a doctor’s negligence, you need the best representation you can get. Give us a call today to learn more about how we can help.