Atlanta Misdiagnosis Lawyer
Being misdiagnosed by a doctor can mean the difference between life and death, or to a lesser extreme can mean unnecessarily suffering from an illness, disease, or injury. It may be surprising to learn that medical misdiagnoses are common in the medical field.
If a doctor has misdiagnosed you or someone you love, contact an Atlanta misdiagnosis lawyer today. A knowledgeable and experienced medical malpractice attorney is prepared to thoroughly investigate your case and to determine if you are entitled to compensation for your injuries. En Español.
Misdiagnosis Lawsuits Against Atlanta Doctors
According to the National Center for Policy Analysis, misdiagnoses exceed other common types of medical malpractice including drug errors and surgical errors. Patients rely on their doctors and healthcare providers to determine the cause of their ailments and to appropriately treat them. Doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals, therefore, go through extensive education and training in order to be able to identify a patient’s symptoms with a correlating medical condition.
A misdiagnosis occurs when a doctor fails to properly identify a condition, or mistakes symptoms as indicative of another condition. Commonly misdiagnosed illnesses and conditions include:
- Cancers
- Pulmonary embolisms
- Clogged arteries
- Strokes
- Appendicitis
- Lyme’s Disease
- Lupus
- Parkinson’s disease
- Multiple sclerosis
Unfortunately, there is an alarming number of patients who suffer due to misdiagnoses every year, and in a startling report issued by the Institute of Medicine, doctors will commit an estimated 12 million diagnostic errors in a year.
If a person has suffered an injury or disease because a doctor failed to make a proper and timely diagnosis, you and your family may be entitled to compensation.
An experienced misdiagnosis attorney is prepared to provide informed legal counsel and support to determine if a patient is entitled to compensation for their injuries.
Consequences of a Misdiagnosis
When a doctor inaccurately diagnoses a patient, it is often more than just a mere inconvenience. A misdiagnosis may mean that a patient undergoes unnecessary surgical procedures, is prescribed medications that do not alleviate symptoms, and in some cases, patients must undergo emergency surgeries and procedures to correct a misdiagnosed condition.
An Atlanta misdiagnosis lawyer can help injured patients by filing a medical malpractice lawsuit and potentially recover compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, diminished earning capacity, pain and suffering and even death.
Filing a Claim
A medical misdiagnosis can result in life-long complications, however, it is important to understand that there is a time limit for filing a claim against a doctor or medical professional for failure to diagnose. Georgia statutes of limitations which act as deadlines for lawsuits.
Under Georgia’s medical malpractice statute of limitations O.C.G.A. § 9-3-71, a person generally has two years to file a medical malpractice lawsuit. However, there are exceptions which an experienced misdiagnosis lawyer can help you determine if they apply in your case.
Filing a lawsuit for medical malpractice outside of the statute of limitations may mean that a case is dismissed entirely. An Atlanta misdiagnosis lawyer can help determine if a person’s case is within the statute of limitations, and whether or not her case may be filed after the statute of limitations due to an exception.
Contact an Atlanta Misdiagnosis Attorney
Each case of misdiagnosis is unique and requires the attention of a knowledgeable and experienced lawyer. Contact an Atlanta misdiagnosis lawyer today to begin the process of recovering from a misdiagnosis.
