Medical and Health Information

Medical malpractice claims require the gathering of quite a bit of health and medical information, including locating and paying for medical services. The following links will help you find medical and health information that may relate to your claim. See FindLaw's Medical Malpractice section for more articles.

Health Information

2007 Toll-Free Numbers for Health Information | PDF
Selected toll-free numbers for health-related information, education, and support. From the National Health Information Center.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Contains health and safety information on topics including birth defects, injury prevention, and workplace safety.

Health Information - National Institutes of Health
Contains health information by body system, condition/disease, and demographic group.

healthfinder®
Consumer health information website developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services together with other Federal agencies.

MedlinePlus®
MedlinePlus will direct you to health information to help answer your questions. MedlinePlus brings together, by health topic, authoritative information from NLM, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), other government, non-profit and other health-related organizations. Preformulated MEDLINE searches are included in MedlinePlus and give easy access to the medical research literature. It also provides you with a database of full-text drug information and an illustrated medical encyclopedia.

The Merck Manual
Extensive medical text for the general public. Includes information on specific disorders, first aid, and communicating with medical professionals.

National Health Information Center (NHIC)
NHIC puts health professionals and consumers who have health questions in touch with those organizations that are best able to provide answers. Contains the Health Information Resource Database, which includes 1,800 organizations and government offices that provide health information upon request.

Locating Medical Services

American Medical Association's Doctor Finder
Basic information on most licensed physician in the United States and its possessions, including more than 690,000 doctors of medicine and doctors of osteopathy or osteopathic medicine.

American Hospital Directory
Features online data for more than 6,000 hospitals. Free basic searching.

MedlinePlus®
Contains an extensive list of sources to locate medical and dental sources. Select "Directories" from their home page.

Federation of State Medical Licensing Boards
List of state medical boards.

Paying for Medical Services

BenefitsCheckUp
A free service from the National Council of the Aging that identifies federal and state assistance programs for older Americans.

Consumer Guides for Getting and Keeping Health Insurance
From the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute. Guides available for each state and the District of Columbia.

GovBenefits.gov
Official government benefits website.Free, confidential tool to helps you find government benefits you may be eligible to receive.

InsureKidsNow.gov
Information on free and low-cost health insurance for infants, children and teens.

Medicare.gov - Participating Physician Directory
Searchable directory of doctors who accept Medicare assignment.

Medicaid Consumer Page
Information on state Medicaid programs, eligibility, and benefits.

Obtaining Free Care
Information from the Health Resources and Services Administration about receiving free or reduced cost care under the Hill-Burton program. Includes list of obligated medical facilities.

Prescription Drug Coverage
From Medicare.gov, this section provides information on public and private programs that offer discounted or free medication, programs that provide help with other health care costs, and Medicare health plans that include prescription coverage. You can also compare drug prices on this site.

Shriners Hospitals for Children
Shriners Hospitals for Children is a network of pediatric specialty hospitals, founded by the Shrine, where children under the age of 18 receive excellent medical care absolutely free of charge.

Get Legal Help from a Medical Malpractice Attorney

While it's always a good idea to have a general idea of the resources available to you, a seasoned attorney will know what information is needed in your case and where to access it. An attorney will also be able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your claim and advise you on a course of action. Talk to a medical malpractice attorney right away to learn more.