Filing an Atlanta Misdiagnosis Claim
The National Academy of Medicine reports that 12 million people are misdiagnosed for their illness, injury, or disease annually in the United States. A misdiagnosis can have catastrophic and even deadly consequences. If you or a loved has been misdiagnosed by a healthcare professional, you may want to contact a seasoned lawyer today. A compassionate attorney could help you decide if filing an Atlanta misdiagnosis claim is the right decision for you.
Common Mistakes When Filing a Claim
One of the most common mistakes a person might make when filing an Atlanta misdiagnosis claim is not seeking a lawyer who exclusively does medical malpractice cases. Many lawyers dabble in different areas of law and do not handle medical malpractice cases on a day-to-day basis. An individual needs an attorney who knows how to work a misdiagnosis case, understands the type of evidence and testimony needed, and has the experts on standby to investigate the case.
Communication Between the Patient and Doctor
By the time the patient seeks legal representation, there has been a significant amount of communication between the individual and their doctor. Usually, the patient deals with the doctor for a serious amount of time before seeking a second opinion. Getting a second opinion from another doctor could be vital for someone.
In a cancer case, if the doctor does not diagnose cancer and the patient becomes ill and goes to the emergency room, the medical professionals in the ER could then conduct a test to discover cancer. It is very common for a person to have a misdiagnosis that later turns out to be cancer. Two years of complaints from a patient should tip off the doctor that the person has a condition that needs to be addressed, however, sometimes the doctor does not take their patient’s issues seriously enough. It is important for patients to communicate with their doctor and thoroughly explain the pain or discomfort they are experiencing.
Misdiagnosis Cases Differ From Other Malpractice Claims
A misdiagnosis case is different than other medical malpractice cases because the harm takes place over a more time. In many medical malpractice cases, the harm is the result of negligence. Most of the time, the negligence of the doctor happens quickly. When a surgeon messes up a surgery, the patient starts suffering from the complications immediately or soon after. In a misdiagnosis case, the patient may not know the harm they suffer until much later. With a cancer case, the person may have mild or moderate symptoms of underlying cancer that are missed. As cancer gets worse, the individual’s condition deteriorates and their cancer grows. By the time the patient finds out about the severity of their diagnosis, the problem is much worse and goes on over a long period of time.
Importance of Hiring a Lawyer
Misdiagnosis cases are complex and require an experienced lawyer who knows the right questions to ask. The attorney needs to identify the departures from the standard of care, what the doctor should have done, and the diagnoses that should have been made. The lawyer should have experience putting all the pieces together to get a lawsuit filed and successfully prosecuted.
When someone considers filing an Atlanta misdiagnosis claim, they should know that the attorney will ask a lot of questions. The lawyer needs to get a complete picture of the person’s medical history because the doctor may try to point at other problems in their history that could have made the diagnosis confusing or difficult. If you are thinking about filing a claim, call a seasoned attorney today.
