A missed diagnosis happens when a doctor or other medical practitioner fails to detect an illness in a patient. This can have devastating consequences for a patient, including delayed treatment or missed treatment opportunities. In cases where cancer or another life-threatening illness is missed, patients may not get needed treatment in time and can face a much-shortened life.
If you’ve had a doctor or other medical professional miss a diagnosis or misdiagnose you, contact Flaxman Law Group for a consultation with a Hollywood medical malpractice claims lawyer. We can review your situation and answer your questions.
How Common are Missed Diagnosis in Hollywood?
Diagnostic issues are one of the most common types of medical malpractice claims. Unfortunately, these often affect cancer patients, who are given a clean bill of health only to be diagnosed with an advanced stage of cancer, making it clear that their cancer was developing for some time.
Women’s illnesses are another area where missed diagnosis happens frequently. According to studies, women across the country face a mean delay of over 11 years before being correctly diagnosed with endometriosis, a serious condition that causes chronic pain. And a report published in The American Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that women are almost twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with mental health issues rather than a heart attack when they have chest pains and other heart attack symptoms. The same report found that women continue to face significant missed diagnosis when they suffer from cardiac disease.
Do I Have a Claim?
If you’ve been incorrectly diagnosed, you may have a claim if the incident happened because a doctor or other professional failed to diagnose an issue. You only have a claim if another doctor would have discovered your illness in a timely way.
To understand this, let’s look at an example. Let’s say you go into the ER with shortness of breath. Let’s also say you’re over age 40 and have a family history of heart disease. The ER doctor sends you home, saying you’re fine. On the way home, you have a major heart attack.
Unfortunately, these situations are not always so clear. You may have been visiting the same physician for years for wellness checks and suddenly get a stage III cancer diagnosis from a new doctor. How did the previous doctor miss the signs? In these situations, speaking with a Hollywood medical malpractice claims attorney is important.
A medical malpractice claims lawyer in Hollywood can investigate whether there were symptoms and signs your doctor shouldn’t have missed. Attorneys also work with medical experts and expert witnesses who can testify in court whether a medical professional should have been able to diagnose an illness based on symptoms, diagnostic testing, and any other interactions.
If you have been suddenly diagnosed with stage III or IV cancer or feel your diagnosis was delayed or missed by a medical professional, contact Flaxman Law Group for a consultation. You can reach our team at 866-352-9626 or contact us online to schedule a consultation with a Hollywood medical malpractice claims attorney. Our compassionate team can answer your questions and discuss what you may be able to do next.