Medical malpractice actions: procedural elements

Medical malpractice suits are intensely anxiety-provoking for physicians, in part because of the foreignness of legal terminology and procedure that accompanies them. Consultations with attorneys in such matters may be confusing, and the sequence of necessary legal steps, after the filing of a complaint against the physician, can appear to be arcane and laborious. This brief discussion outlines the legal terminology and procedure that are part of any tort action-including malpractice-with the goal of reducing unfamiliarity with those elements on the part of physicians.