Everyone is pleased with medical improvements that have made some diseases that once were death sentences a few decades ago into medical triumphs. But that only serves to hide a tragic statistic showing that misdiagnosis occurs in 20% of all fatal illnesses, and that statistic hasn't changed in nearly 80 years. Some believe that is because there is no merit system in either the medical profession or in the rates for medical malpractice insurance. For drivers, if they have accidents or tickets, their rates reflect the higher risk they present. Not so for doctors. And rarely is there a way for you, the patient, to access a quality rating for a general practitioner or a specialist. Errors happen at an alarming rate, and too often our only recourse is to enlist the aid of a medical malpractice attorney to make sure we are compensated for the damages that result.