When something goes wrong with a patient’s health, there is a risk that they could file a medical malpractice case. Sometimes, those cases have no real basis, but the patient or their family may spread harmful rumors about the care you provided.
Defamation can be damaging to your career as a medical provider, especially if it hurts your relationship with an employer or damages your independent clinic or facility.
What constitutes defamation?
Defamation usually occurs when there is a publication of defamatory or false statements against them. Defamation may include libel or slander, slander being spoken while libel is in written form.
There are a few ways that defamation could hurt a medical provider’s career. They may face a loss of clients or patients due to the statements made against them. They might have to step down from a role at a hospital or clinic if the defamation is hurting their employer’s reputation, too.
While defamation hasn’t historically been considered a problem in healthcare, social media changed that. Now, it’s possible to look up providers and reviews about them. Just one or two upset family members or patients could spread negative statements all across the internet in various places where other potential patients would see that and potentially decide to go to another provider.
People may write anything on the internet, but you should protect yourself
It’s true that people might write anything they want online, and there is an element of free speech with that. However, if there is a loss of income related to defamation, then you may be able to make a case against the person who is defaming you. Cases may be heard quickly by the court system when the health care industry is impacted, which is something to keep in mind.
If there is a risk of you losing patients, income and financial opportunities because of false information or claims being made against you, it’s worth looking into the options that you have to pursue a claim. You may be able to put a stop to the defamation and be compensated fairly for what you’ve been put through.