Hawaii has been ranked one of the worst states in the country for doctors. What does it mean for medical malpractice cases in the Aloha State?
WalletHub has released its annual “Best & Worst States for Doctors” report, and Hawaii ranks at No. 48 out of 50 states and the District of Columbia. Hawaii only scored a little more than 45 points out of a maximum of 100 points.
WalleHub reviewed states across the nation based on 16 categories, including malpractice award payout amount per capita. We asked our Hawaii medical malpractice attorney to examine the findings of the report, and spell out what it means for residents and visitors in the Aloha State.
Why is Hawaii such a bad state for doctors?
There are a couple of areas, in which Hawaii did not perform well, that raise concerns. One of them is the average annual wage of physicians in Hawaii. Doctors and physicians in the state receive the second lowest average annual wages in the country (adjusted for cost of living), only surpassing D.C. in this category.
Other categories that negatively impacted Hawaii’s ranking were the number of hospitals per capita and quality of public hospital system. These areas raise serious concerns, as Hawaii is one of the most popular tourist hotspots in the world.
Millions of tourists come to Hawaii annually in order to have fun and engage in exciting activities, many of which are dangerous and can lead to minor or severe injuries. In fact, in Hawaii, injuries kill more people than cardiovascular disease, stroke and cancer, combined.
And it turns out that there may not be enough hospitals in Hawaii to treat all those injured people. Not to mention that the quality of public hospital system is not good enough!
Medical malpractice lawsuits in Hawaii
Our Hawaii medical malpractice lawyer at the Kurzban Kurzban Tetzeli & Pratt P.A. – Kurzban Kurzban Tetzeli & Pratt, P.A. – personal injury law firm in Hawaii explains that this is one of the reasons why medical malpractice lawsuits are so commonplace in the Aloha State.
Inadequate quality of medical care and treatments are the perfect breeding ground for errors, negligence and medical malpractice cases. Not to mention that underpaid doctors, surgeons, nurses, physicians, and other medical professionals are more likely to make medical and surgical errors compared to those who are satisfied with their wages.
In fact, the report showed that Hawaii ranked 51st (the worst state) in average monthly starting salary of physicians. According to WalleHub’s report, Hawaii ranked 29th in malpractice award payout amount per capita, which is not that bad, but is not that good either.
Are you entitled to medical malpractice compensation in Hawaii?
Have you been injured while receiving medical care or undergoing a medical procedure, and believe that the medical professional was negligent, reckless or in any other way violated the standard of care?
You may have a medical malpractice case on your hands, but in order to make you eligible for compensation for your injuries, your Hawaii medical malpractice attorney must establish three elements:
- The standard of care, which is recognized by other medical professionals, has been violated due to negligence, recklessness, omission to act, or breach of contract.
- The violation of the standard of care resulted in your injuries.
- The injury resulted in damages, including but not limited to loss of wages, loss of earning capacity, disability, medical expenses, and other types of damages.
Yes, Hawaii may not be the best state for physicians and getting compensated for your injuries may not be as easy as in other states of our nation, but we have got the best medical malpractice attorneys in Hawaii to help you recover damages.
Contact the Kurzban Kurzban Tetzeli & Pratt P.A. for a free case evaluation. Call our Hawaii offices at 808-736-5035, or complete this contact form to get a free consultation.