Often times I am asked by clients, neighbors and friends how should they choose a doctor to avoid potential medical malpractice.  The best answer I can come up with is to advise to people to approach your medical care in the same way you would in making an expensive purchase.  Do your research: ask people in the community who they use, go online and find out if there have been any complaints against the doctor or hospital and find out if your medical provider has been ranked favorably or unfavorably by organizations that review medical care.  The other answer I give is a simple one:  ask questions of your doctor.  Don't blindly take the advice of anyone, including your attorney or doctor.  There is a difference in not trusting your doctor and not asking questions.  If your doctor can answer your questions with reasonable answers (and you should have done some research online on your own- there is a huge amount of informaiton available) then that only builds the trust.  Finally, don't be afraid to get another opinion especially if there is a surgery or long term treatment involved.

Patrick Malone is a nationally known attorney from Washington DC that handles medical malpractice cases.  He has recently written a book entitled The Life you Save:  9 Steps to finding the best medical care-and avoiding the worst.  This is a great resource for people in assisting them in making important medical decisions.  Don't make an uninformed decision on something that could dramatically alter your life. If you are interested in obtaining this book it can be found at  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0738213047/thliyosa-20.