| Read Time: 2 minutes | Medical Malpractice
can I sue for misdiagnosis

After suffering an injury or illness, obtaining the right medical care typically depends on initially getting the correct diagnosis.

Unfortunately, a significant number of medical malpractice lawsuits derive from the misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, or lack of diagnosis of a medical condition.

Misdiagnosis may involve the following actions:

  • Failure to screen for a specific medical condition
  • Failure to refer a patient to a specialist
  • Failure to adequately address the patient’s symptoms
  • Failure to properly follow up and investigate possible symptom causes which are reported
  • Misinterpret lab test results

When a physician’s diagnosis error results in incorrect treatment, delayed treatment or no treatment whatsoever, a patient’s condition may worsen–even prove fatal. If a patient suffers harm due to a doctor’s misdiagnosis, he/she may pursue a legal remedy by filing a medical malpractice lawsuit.

In order to succeed in a medical malpractice lawsuit, the patient–with the help of his/her personal injury lawyer–must establish the following elements:

  • A relationship between a doctor and a patient existed
  • The doctor was negligent by failing to adequately diagnose the patient
  • Actual harm to the patient was caused by the doctor’s failure to properly diagnose

The most difficult point to prove is the second element–whether or not the physician’s inability to properly diagnose the patient elevated to the level of medical negligence.

Keep in mind, just because a disease or any other harmful health problem wasn’t detected in a timely manner doesn’t mean that the doctor is automatically considered negligent.

The important question is whether, in failing to determine a right and timely diagnosis, the doctor also failed to act within the scope of reasonable care that any skilled physician would have demonstrated under the circumstances.

While there are diagnostic errors that any doctor would likely have committed, those that are unreasonable mistakes in diagnosis are the basis of a medical malpractice claim.

Due to the complexities of a medical malpractice case, it is best to consult your case with an experienced attorney. A medical malpractice lawyer can review the facts of the case and explore all of your available legal options.

Contact our personal injury lawyer at Gerash Steiner & Blanton, P.C. for more information today.

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At Gerash Steiner Blanton P.C., we pride ourselves on providing exceptional legal services to every one of our clients. Our team of experienced attorneys is dedicated to representing individuals and businesses in a wide range of legal matters. We understand that every case is unique and will always provide personalized solutions to meet your immediate legal needs.

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