An article posted on the Becker’s Hospital Review on January 11, 2017 titled, “A State-By-State Breakdown of Medical Malpractice Suits” discussed how physicians in some states are more likely to face a medical malpractice lawsuit than their colleagues in other states. Further, the article provided a breakdown of approximate medical malpractice lawsuit payouts for states made in 2015, the percentage change from 2014 and the number of medical malpractice lawsuits filed per every one hundred thousand (100,000) residents per state in 2015. All this information was provided by Deidrick Healthcare and Zippia. According to the provided information in the article, the state of Alaska ranks twenty-third (23) with the following statistics:

- Malpractice suits per 100,000 residents: 21.8
- Total payout: $5.7 million
- 31.06% decrease from 2014

Regarding the information provided in the article, a spokesperson and attorney from the Crowson Law Group provided comments in respect of medical malpractice.

The attorney first stated that generally, medical malpractice is a very complicated area of personal injury due to the medical aspects and factors associated with it, as well as with the laws involved in pursuing such a lawsuit. He further stated that, “medical malpractice law is highly regulated by a complex set of rules therefore, it is not an area of law where an individual would want to go at it alone without legal representation”. The attorney stated that there are a wide variety of situations that can lead to medical malpractice claims, however, most medical malpractice claims fall into one of the three following categories:

1.Failure to diagnose - where a competent doctor would have diagnosed a patient’s illness or made a difference diagnosis which would have led to a better outcome than the one achieved, then the patient has a valid medical malpractice claim.

2.Improper treatment - this is where a doctor treats a patient in a way that no other competent doctor would, then the patient may have a medical malpractice claim. Further, it may also be medical malpractice if the doctor uses the right treatment but incompetently administers the treatment.

3. Failure to warn the patient of known risks - in respect of a course of treatment or procedure, doctors have the duty to warn patients of the associated risks. This is the duty to informed consent. If a doctor fails to warn the patient of the risks associated with a specific treatment or medical procedure and goes ahead with the treatment or procedure and the patient is injured or harmed this may result in medical malpractice whereby; had the patient being informed of the associated risks and he or she would not have gone through with the treatment or medical procedure this rises to the level of medical malpractice.

The attorney further went on to state that all patients who believe that they have a valid medical malpractice case should seek out an Alaska medical malpractice attorney from a renowned law firm and take advantage of a free case evaluation to determine the validity of their medical malpractice case. The attorney further, went on to state that he strongly recommends that an injured patient with a medical malpractice case seek legal assistance.