Boca Raton Failure to Diagnose Lawyer
The majority of medical malpractice lawsuits filed each year have to do with failure to diagnose a life-threatening condition or disease. This is closely related to inaccurate diagnosis cases as well, but it does have a few distinct differences.
Common Diagnostic Errors
Failure to diagnose accounts for over 40 percent of medical malpractice claims. This is a lot considering the other types of medical malpractice claims that are out there. Failure to diagnose is part of a family of diagnostic errors.
Physicians have a big duty – and they are responsible for identifying issues with their patients and getting them care within a reasonable amount of time. Failing to diagnose a patient could lead to a more serious condition, longer treatments or death.
While failing to diagnose is not automatically a medical malpractice claim, it can be if the doctor acted negligently or did not perform within a reasonable level of care. Some common diagnostic errors include:
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Failure to Diagnose – When a physician completely misses a connection between a patient’s symptoms and his or her condition; therefore, no treatment is given to the patient.
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Misdiagnose – This is often confused with failure to diagnose, but is not the same thing. This occurs when a doctor diagnoses the patient with a condition that they do not have.
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Delayed Diagnosis – This is when the physician takes too long to diagnose the right condition – and can be part of a misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose case.
Conditions Commonly Not Diagnosed by Physicians
There are some conditions that are commonly misdiagnosed by physicians, and these are the types of cases that often result in medical malpractice claims. Some of the more commonly undiagnosed conditions include, but are not limited to:
- Cancers – especially colon, breast, ovarian, cervix, prostate, lung, stomach, kidneys, and skin cancers.
- Allergic reactions
- Diabetes
- Meningitis
- Infection
- Stroke
- Lyme disease
- Parasitic infections
- Periodontal disease
The Cost of Failing to Diagnose
While there have been recent technological advances in how doctors diagnose their patients, some physicians fail to use these diagnostic tools, putting their patients at risk. Not diagnosing a patient in time or never noticing certain conditions could delay vital treatment for a patient, and that could mean longer treatments and higher costs.
If you or a loved one was not diagnosed, you may be entitled to compensation for the costs associated with that failure to diagnose. These damages can include:
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Longer medical treatments – such as additional chemotherapy treatments because cancer was not detected early enough.
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Loss of limbs – amputations that occur because an infection got out of control.
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Prescription costs – additional medications that are required to correct the condition.
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Lost wages – the patient may not be able to go to work or work as much as they used to because of their undiagnosed condition or illness.
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Death – a patient dies because their physician failed to accurately diagnose their condition.
Is Failure to Diagnose Medical Malpractice?
To prove that the failure to diagnose is medical malpractice, you need an attorney. These types of cases are highly complex and require the assistance of a skilled personal injury attorney. The team at Leifer & Ramirez understands how difficult these types of cases are, and we will work hard to prove the four key things that can make your case valid, including:
- Proving your doctor owed you a duty of care and prove that you were, in fact, his or her patient. You will have to prove there was a doctor-patient relationship to prove that the doctor failed to perform within their duties.
- Showing that the doctor breached their reasonable duty of care – such as failing to diagnose.
- You were injured or suffered some harm because of that failure to diagnose.
- The doctor’s inability to diagnose caused harm.
Did Your Doctor Fail to Diagnose? Contact the Attorneys at Leifer & Ramirez Today
If your physician failed to diagnose properly, you may have a valid medical malpractice claim. The only way to prove your case is to speak to a Boca Raton medical malpractice lawyer regarding your case. The team at Leifer & Ramirez have helped hundreds of clients just like you get compensation for their physician’s errors.
Do not wait to file your claim – time is limited. To ensure maximum compensation, contact Leifer & Ramirez today for a free consultation.
