FAILURE TO DIAGNOSE

The failure to diagnose a serious disease correctly is the most common allegation that is made by plaintiffs in medical-related liability lawsuits in this country. The reason for that would seem obvious, as the failure to diagnose sends the doctor and the patient down a road that often results in a waste of time and the exacerbation of a medical condition.

That information comes from one medical liability insurer, who determined that 39% of the claims had errors in diagnosis at their core. In almost half those cases (47%, in fact), the diagnosis error involved a failure to detect cancer. Since cancer is often a killer, these critical mistakes can have fatal consequences indeed.

Imagine yourself not feeling well and going into a hospital or doctor's office, only to feel worse months later when your ailment was not dealt with correctly, and subsequently find out that the physician made the wrong diagnosis! Naturally you can see the potential for further illness and psychological distress this can cause. Lack of effective communication, sloppy follow-up procedures, lab mistakes, incompetence and the failure to follow appropriate standards are just some of the things that can bring about a misdiagnosis.

Many of these instances are preventable, but unfortunately, it is often too late. Anyone who has to go through this kind of nightmare should be compensated for their troubles. And the doctor who made the unforgivable error should be punished.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of a failure to diagnose a medical condition correctly, you have rights and we will help you assert them. Please do not hesitate to contact out offices, as we can give you an idea as to what your options are under the law.

Fighting for you - that's what we do, at Ronaldson & Kuchler.

For more information relating to failure to diagnose medical errors
Contact , Ronaldson & Kuchler Attorney Law Offices of Chicago, Illinois