You don't want to consider that the doctor you've trusted, perhaps for many years, is negligent. You want to believe you're in good hands. However, doctors make mistakes. Sometimes, costly mistakes. And you're the one paying - with your health, with your wallet and sometimes, with your life. Most commonly, medical malpractice consists of unnecessarily complex treatment, or unnecessary or unnecessarily invasive surgery. But there are other red flags. If any of the following sound too familiar, it's time to act.

#1: You're Not Getting Better

A simple misdiagnosis should be identified long before you start paying for expensive treatments. While finding the right treatment can be trial and error, if you've been undergoing expensive and/or invasive treatments and there's no change in your condition (or you're getting worse) you could be the victim of medical malpractice. Similarly, if you're paying for more and more tests with no solutions, it's time to get legal help.

#2: The Diagnosis Doesn't Make Sense

Did your doctor not order a common test before diagnosing your condition? Or maybe he didn't order additional tests to confirm it. Or maybe the diagnosis was delayed after he skipped a common test or only ran one test. These are all common signs of medical malpractice. They suggest your doctor isn't providing adequate care. Common tests are in place for a reason. Similarly, no diagnosis should be made on a single lab. Mistakes can be made and samples can be contaminated or mixed. Call experts like Cohen, Placitella, Roth P.C. for legal help. You don't want to pay for a diagnosis to a condition you don't have - while your actual condition progresses past the point where it can be easily managed.

#3: Communication Is at a Stand Still

If communication suddenly drops, this is cause for alarm. If your doctor stops responding to your questions, providing you with information, avoids your questions, or doesn't follow up with you, you could be the victim of medical malpractice. Someone should be with you after the diagnosis, during the procedure, throughout treatment and into recovery. If that's not happening, seek help.

According to the Civil Justice Resource Group, as many as 120,000 instances of death each year are a result of malpractice, but fewer than 5% of malpractice victims file a claim. Don't become a statistic. Understand your rights, your options, and how to proceed if you are a victim of medical malpractice.