Personal Injury Attorney on What To Do When a Doctor Refuses To Treat You
Can doctors refuse to treat patients who need medical help? While doctors can deny treatment in some instances, at other times, this action constitutes medical negligence — a form of malpractice. Below, a Charlotte personal injury attorney with Yale Haymond Law PLLC answers what to do when a doctor refuses to treat you.
Can a Doctor Refuse To Provide Treatment in Charlotte?
According to the Charlotte personal injury attorneys at Yale Haymond Law PLLC, a doctor cannot refuse to provide treatment to a patient if doing so would cause the patient harm.
Medical providers have a duty of care to treat patients who come to them in need of urgent care. While doctors can refuse treatment in some cases if the patient is unable to pay, they must treat the patient if refusing to do so would bring harm. Otherwise, they may be guilty of patient abandonment, which is a form of malpractice.
Additionally, doctors cannot discriminate against patients or refuse care because of a patient's ethnicity, race, or religious beliefs. They also cannot delay treatment beyond a reasonable time frame.
What To Do When a Doctor Refuses To Treat You in Charlotte, NC
If a doctor refuses to treat a patient in Charlotte, NC, they must provide reasonable notice and recommend a qualified replacement care provider to avoid a delay in treatment.
If they do not adhere to the emergency care obligation to treat patients who need urgent assistance, they may be liable for the patient's damages under medical negligence.
The patient can speak with a personal injury attorney in Charlotte, NC, about the legal consequences of medical negligence. Through a medical malpractice lawsuit, they can seek compensation for:
- Extra medical bills the provider created by delaying treatment
- Emotional damages like pain and suffering, disfigurement, and loss of quality of life
Taking legal action can hold the provider and their colleagues to a higher standard of care to prevent future instances of medical negligence.
Yale Haymond Law PLLC: Committed Personal Injury Attorneys in Charlotte
Patients who suspect they are victims of patient abandonment or medical negligence should contact a qualified attorney to discuss avenues of seeking compensation and understand what to expect when you hire a lawyer. The attorneys at Yale Haymond Law PLLC have helped numerous Charlotte negligence victims navigate medical malpractice cases and begin moving forward from their medical trauma.
Contact Yale Haymond Law PLLC at 704-800-HELP to speak to a Charlotte personal injury attorney and learn more about what to do when a doctor refuses to treat you.
