NO FEE UNLESS WE WIN
Failure to Diagnose, Such as Missed Signs of Serious Illness or Disease
We rely on medical professionals to evaluate our medical issues and provide us with diagnoses so that we can heal or manage a new way of life after an operation. Unfortunately, medical professionals sometimes overlook what is causing our ailments. This often results in a lower quality of life for patients and sometimes causes further complications as time goes on. If you believe a medical professional has failed to properly diagnose you or a loved one in a timely manner, you may have a right to compensation.
Causes of Failure to Diagnose
There are myriad of reasons why a medical professional may fail to diagnose a patient’s illness. This happens most often when the medical professional:
- Does not listen to the patient
- Does not recognize the patient’s symptoms
- Misinterprets the patient’s symptoms
- Fails to perform necessary tests
- Misreads lab results
- Is unfamiliar with the illness because it is rare
Statistics
According to John’s Hopkins researchers, 80,000 to 160,000 people suffer from diagnosis errors annually. Of these instances, 68.8 percent were rooted in outpatient care, while 31.2 percent were rooted in inpatient care (though failed diagnoses rooted in inpatient care are more likely to be lethal). In fact, between 1986 and 2010, failed diagnosis claims totaling more than $38.8 billion were paid out by responsible parties.
Consequences of Failure to Diagnose
Many things can happen when a medical professional fails to properly diagnose a patient. Depending on the circumstances, one or more of the following complications can occur as a result of a delay in diagnosis:
- Cancer: The patient may develop cancer, or if the cancer was already present, a delay in diagnosis may make the cancer more difficult to treat.
- Heart attack: Missing early warning signs of heart problems may result in a patient suffering a preventable heart attack.
- Arthritis: Failing to diagnose bone or joint problems in a timely manner often results in poor quality of life for some period of time, and may result in exacerbation of the condition.
- Pregnancy complications: Failing to diagnose dietary issues, hereditary concerns, or other issues may result in pregnancy complications that could have otherwise been avoided.
Know Your Rights
Under Illinois law, if you or a loved one has suffered due a medical professional’s failure to diagnose, you may be entitled to compensation through a personal injury lawsuit. You may qualify for reimbursement of medical expenses, or compensation for pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, permanent impairment, and loss of earning potential.
Free Consultation
For a confidential, compassionate, in-depth, free, and, most importantly, thorough consultation with a Rockford Personal Injury Lawyer about your failure to diagnose medical malpractice case in Rockford, Belvidere, Freeport, Rochelle, Oregon, Loves Park, Byron, Machesney Park, Roscoe, Rockton, or elsewhere in the State of Illinois, call or text message us at (815) 391-0089, or e-mail us 24/7/365. We offer in-office consultations, and routinely make visits to clients’ homes, hospital rooms, nursing homes, and other off-site locations to make retaining our services as easy as possible.