Monroeville Medical Malpractice Attorneys

Monroeville Medical Malpractice Attorneys

By Craig Frischman, Partner at Frischman & Rizza, P.C. Serving Monroeville and Pittsburgh’s eastern suburbs.

Monroeville sits about fifteen minutes from our Pittsburgh office, and its residents rely on two busy hospitals, UPMC East and AHN Forbes, for everything from emergency care to major surgery. When that care falls below the accepted standard and a patient is hurt, our Monroeville medical malpractice attorneys are close enough to respond and experienced enough to prove it. Call (412) 247-7300 for a free case review. You work directly with a partner, and there is no fee unless we recover for you.

Call Us On 

(412) 247-7300

A Pittsburgh Firm Minutes From Monroeville

Our office at 7300 Penn Avenue is a short drive down the Parkway East from Monroeville, and we are in the Allegheny County courts constantly. That proximity matters. We can meet quickly, we know the hospital systems that serve the eastern suburbs, and we litigate in the county where most Monroeville malpractice cases belong. Medical malpractice is a core focus of our practice, not a sideline, and a partner handles your case from the first call to the last.

Field Notes: Most Monroeville clients were treated at UPMC East or AHN Forbes. Large systems generate large records, and the document that decides a case, an internal incident report or a buried nursing note, is often the one that does not surface unless a lawyer demands it.

What Separates a Bad Outcome From Malpractice

Not every bad result is negligence, and every hospital insurer will say so. Malpractice exists only when a provider breaches the accepted standard of care and that breach causes real harm. The dispute is usually about causation: whether the provider, or the underlying illness, caused the injury.

Malpractice Cases We Handle for Monroeville Patients

The claims we take most often include:

• Diagnostic errors: a missed or delayed diagnosis of cancer, stroke, heart attack, or sepsis.
• Surgical mistakes: wrong-site procedures, retained instruments, and infections from sterilization failures.
• Birth injuries: harm to a mother or child from oxygen deprivation or a delayed cesarean.
• Medication errors: the wrong drug, the wrong dose, or an interaction a provider should have caught.
• Anesthesia errors: improper dosing or a lapse in monitoring during a procedure.

Emergency room negligence: ignored symptoms, misread charts, or a premature discharge.

How the MCARE Act and the Certificate of Merit Work

Pennsylvania malpractice cases run under the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error Act, the MCARE Act, which adds two gates. Under Rule 1042.3 we file a certificate of merit within 60 days of the complaint, a licensed professional’s statement that the care fell below standard. The Act also limits experts to physicians board-certified in the same or a related specialty as the defendant. We line those experts up before filing, because a missed certificate can end a strong case on procedure alone.

Two Hospitals, Two Sets of Records

Because most Monroeville care happens at UPMC East or AHN Forbes, we spend the early weeks of a case gathering records from two different systems, each with its own release process. We send HIPAA-compliant authorizations, track the statutory production window, and press for the pieces that matter most: nursing flow sheets, medication administration records, fetal monitoring strips, radiology images with the actual reads, and any internal incident report. Hospitals do not always volunteer the unflattering documents, so we compare what we receive against what the chart implies should exist. A missing page, a late-added note, or a gap in the timeline is often the first sign of a problem worth a closer look. We also preserve the electronic audit trail, which shows who opened a record and when, and can quietly contradict a defense that insists everything was handled properly.

What Your Case Is Worth

Pennsylvania does not cap compensatory damages in most malpractice cases. Economic damages cover medical bills, future care, and lost earning capacity; non-economic damages cover pain, suffering, disfigurement, and loss of consortium. Punitive damages apply only to reckless conduct. We value each claim from the records and a life-care plan, not a rule of thumb, so we do not quote averages. In cases of a permanent injury, an economist and a life-care planner often join the team to project decades of future cost.

How We Get Paid: Only If You Win

We take these cases on a contingency-fee basis and advance the litigation costs, including expert fees that often run into five figures. Our fee is an agreed percentage of what we recover. If we recover nothing, you owe no attorney’s fee.

Protect Your Claim: What to Do Now

A few early steps make a real difference:

• Request your complete records from UPMC East, AHN Forbes, or any treating provider, in writing.
• Write down the timeline while it is fresh, including who said what and when.
• Do not give a recorded statement to an insurer before speaking with a lawyer.
• Note the date you first suspected an error, because it can affect your deadline.
• Call for a free review well before the two-year mark.

The Two-Year Deadline

Under 42 Pa.C.S. Section 5524, you generally have two years from the injury, or from when you reasonably should have discovered it, to file. Claims involving children follow different rules.

Deadline: Miss the two-year window and the court can bar your claim for good, regardless of the facts. This is general information, not legal advice about your case.

About Monroeville and the Eastern Suburbs

Monroeville is one of Pittsburgh’s eastern suburbs, in Allegheny County along Interstate 376. Its patients, and those in neighboring Plum, Penn Hills, and Murrysville, are served largely by UPMC East and AHN Forbes Hospital. Because we are minutes away on the Parkway East, we can meet Monroeville clients quickly and in person.

The Bottom Line: If care at UPMC East, AHN Forbes, or any Monroeville provider fell below the standard and hurt you, Pennsylvania gives you two years to act, nothing is required up front, and the medical records will decide the case. Get them to a lawyer early.

Talk to a Monroeville Medical Malpractice Attorney

A serious medical injury affects your health, your finances, and your family. We will review what happened at no cost, tell you plainly whether you have a claim, and take on the hospital’s insurers if you do. Call (412) 247-7300 or contact us online to schedule your free consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have a medical malpractice case?

You may have a claim if a provider’s failure to meet the accepted standard of care caused you real harm. The only reliable way to know is a records review by an attorney and a qualified medical expert, which we provide at no cost.

How much does it cost to hire a Monroeville medical malpractice attorney?

Nothing up front. We work on a contingency-fee basis and advance case costs, so you pay attorney’s fees only if we recover compensation for you.

How long do I have to file a claim in Pennsylvania?

Generally two years from the date of injury under 42 Pa.C.S. Section 5524, though the discovery rule and claims involving minors can change that timeline. Acting early protects your rights and the evidence.

Which Monroeville hospitals do you handle cases against?

We can investigate potential negligence at any facility serving Monroeville, including UPMC East and AHN Forbes Hospital, as well as area clinics and practices.

What is a certificate of merit?

Under Pennsylvania Rule 1042.3, most malpractice cases require a signed statement from a licensed professional, filed within 60 days of the complaint, attesting that the care likely fell below the accepted standard.

Do I have to come to your Pittsburgh office?

No. We are about fifteen minutes away on the Parkway East and will meet you in Monroeville, at your home, or by video.

About the Author

Craig Frischman is a founding partner at Frischman & Rizza, P.C., where he represents patients and families in medical malpractice and catastrophic injury cases across Pennsylvania.