When it comes to medical treatment, time and accuracy are of the utmost importance. If a mistake is made when diagnosing or treating an illness or injury, the results can be disastrous. You could be facing rising medical costs or even the wrongful death of a loved one due to the mistake of a physician in diagnosing or treating a condition.
Whether a test was neglected, treatment was not given in a timely manner, or other circumstances kept you from receiving proper treatment, you deserve just compensation. A skilled Fort Lauderdale misdiagnosis attorney can help you claim recoveries for suffering at the hands of negligent medical staff.
The Consequences of a Wrong Diagnosis or Inadequate Treatment
In the case of serious illnesses such as breast cancer or cervical cancer, a misdiagnosis can lead to a delay in proper treatment or even a harmful treatment in place of helpful steps being taken. You could face more severe damage from the illness, or treatment may not be as effective when given. When a doctor fails to run the proper tests, you may be forced to endure unnecessary pain, inconvenience, or long-term effects for your health.
The difference between an incorrect diagnosis and a prompt treatment can even mean the difference between life or death in serious cases. Time is of the essence in treating medical conditions, and the weeks or months spent vainly treating a misdiagnosis or not pursuing proper treatment plans in Weston can affect the life of you or a loved one in innumerable ways. A Fort Lauderdale misdiagnosis attorney can help you seek compensation for the difficulties caused by the lack of a prompt or correct diagnosis.
Common Scenarios for Misdiagnosis in Florida
Some of the more common situations that are misdiagnosed, and which can lead to serious damage if not treated promptly include:
- Stroke
- Head trauma
- Pulmonary Embolism
- Multiple Sclerosis
Can You Sue A Doctor for Wrong Diagnosis?
An error in treating an illness is always unfortunate, but it is not always enough to establish negligence on a doctor’s part. Certain elements must be proven in a medical negligence claim by your Fort Lauderdale misdiagnosis attorney in order to successfully claim damages against a medical professional in Ft. Lauderdale:
- A doctor and patient relationship existed. This can usually be easily established if a person visited the doctor at a professional facility.
- The doctor was negligent. It must be established that the doctor failed to provide diagnosis or treatment in a manner that a skilled an competent physician would be expected to. Doctors can make errors even when using reasonable care, but if a doctor failed to order appropriate tests or properly diagnose easy recognized symptoms, a case can be made for negligence.
- The doctor’s negligence caused injury to the patient. The patient must have suffered as a direct result of the doctor’s actions. In other words, it must be established that if the doctor has responded to the illness in a more capable manner, direct harm to the patient would have been avoided.
Sometimes diagnostic tests can go awry even while they are conducted. If equipment, such as an MRI machine, was not functioning properly, it can cause incorrect information regarding a patient’s condition. In addition, human error can sometimes cause problems such as contamination of samples, incorrect analysis of tests results or incorrect procedures while conducting tests. These can all contribute to a misdiagnosis, and can be considered negligence on the part of medical staff. This negligence is what your wrong diagnosis lawyer can help you seek recoveries for.
If you or a loved one has suffered as a result of the negligence of medical professionals that led to an incorrect or untimely diagnosis, you deserve to be compensated. You could be facing unnecessary medical bills, pain and suffering, and further complications. As a medical malpractice attorney in Fort Lauderdale, Lisa S. Levine can help you to hold negligent medical staff accountable and get back on your feet.
Can a Hospital Be Held Liable for Misdiagnosis?
In some cases, the doctor responsible for a misdiagnosis is the only liable party in a medical malpractice lawsuit. In some cases, there may be other parties that can be held liable in a wrong diagnosis lawsuit. What if you were in a hospital when it happened? You may be wondering if you can and how to sue a hospital for wrong diagnosis, in addition to the medical professional who made the error.
Injury Victim
The answer is yes — in some cases. Under the doctrine of vicarious liability, a party that did not cause an injury may be held responsible if that party has a legal relationship with the person who did cause the injury. In the case of an error made by a doctor who is an employee at a hospital, the doctor’s treatment of patients is financially benefit both the physician and the hospital. Therefore, if the doctor makes a misdiagnosis that leads to injuries to the patient, the patient may be able to sue both the doctor and the hospital for the wrong diagnosis.
Determining liability in medical malpractice cases is complicated because it involves not only finding the responsible healthcare professional but also looking the relationships between that medical professional and any other parties possibly liable parties. In Florida, medical malpractice insurance may only cover a small part of your damages, so it’s important to identify any and all potentially liable parties in order to obtain fair compensation for your injuries.
Get Help From a Fort Lauderdale Misdiagnosis Attorney
Lisa S. Levine and her legal team have helped hundreds across Florida who have been the victims of medical malpractice, including mistakes in diagnosing and treating issues that could have prevented further problems. Determination is imperative in fighting for compensation for you, and Lisa Levine knows how to press on, even in the face of a challenging situation.
With over 35 years of experience, Lisa Levine is not afraid to keep fighting for your case against the largest of insurance companies, and she never takes the easy way out.
Call 954-256-1820 today to schedule a free consultation to discuss your circumstances and claim today. You are not responsible for a single fee for consultation or even your case unless a financial recovery is made on your behalf.
