Medical malpractice lawsuits help patients when a doctor doesn’t deliver services up to professional standards. One of the complications of the modern world is that there are quite a few alternative practitioners out there. Some of these practitioners are licensed and, beyond that, there are different degrees of “alternative” that you have to take account of if you’re considering suing one of these practitioners for malpractice.
For example, not every physician out there accepts chiropractic treatment as a scientifically valid form of medical treatment. Nonetheless, chiropractic practitioners are common, some of them work in regular hospitals and they are licensed to perform services. Because of this, it generally is possible to sue a chiropractic practitioner for malpractice if they fail to deliver medical care up to legally established standards.
Beyond those practitioners that do have a place in the mainstream – even if it is not universally agreed upon – there are a number of different types of practitioners who you may or may not be able to sue, but not necessarily for malpractice.
New Age Practitioners and Medical Negligence
Generally speaking, medical services that fall under the definition of “new age” practice are not recognized as legitimate medical services. In some states, it may be possible for you to go after such a practitioner for malpractice. Remember, however, simply because you cannot sue someone for malpractice doesn’t mean that you cannot sue them as a means of trying to get money back from them that you paid them for what turned out to be a worthless service or good. In fact, worthless services and goods are, in and of themselves, oftentimes legitimate reasons to file lawsuits against someone.
Acupuncturists and Medical Malpractice
You may be able to sue an acupuncturist for malpractice, but an attorney may want you to pursue other venues for getting your money back.. It depends upon where you are and what your attorney advises, and upon the circumstances of your claim, of course, as well.
In most cases, in order to sue someone for malpractice, you have to be able to establish that they delivered services that were below the standard of care, which means that there has to be a standard of care expected of that practitioner. When it comes to alternative treatments, this can become very complex. The best route to pursue if you are interested in trying to get money back from an alternative practitioner you believe harmed or defrauded you is to simply talk to a personal injury attorney and get their best advice.