Important Aspects to an Atlanta Delayed Diagnosis Case
Among the important aspects to an Atlanta delayed diagnosis case, understanding what you stand to recover is perhaps the most important. To help with that understanding, a team of client-focused attorneys could work diligently to ensure that your needs are met. Let a team of lawyers help you make a financial recovery today.
What Is a Delayed Diagnosis?
Delayed diagnosis claims are those involving a patient’s condition being diagnosed much later, after the patient has met with his or her doctor regarding symptoms of that condition.
In a true failure to diagnose claim, the condition is not diagnosed before it worsens or causes the patient’s death. A patient’s condition or disease in a delay in diagnosis case is diagnosed after some time and usually results in greater harm to the patient.
Frequently Missed Illnesses
Cancer is frequently delayed in diagnosis when it should not be. The earlier that cancer is detected and treated, the better the patient’s outcome is likely to be; however, patients experiencing symptoms of certain forms of cancer might not be diagnosed until much later, once the symptoms are more severe and the cancer has spread. That lost time leads to a greater likelihood of death, a catastrophic outcome that could have been prevented with a timely diagnosis.
Possible Consequences Many Victims Face
A delayed diagnosis could cost patients a limb, their wellbeing, or their lives. If an infection in a patient’s arm is not diagnosed, the infection could spread and become necrotic, resulting in the patient having his or her arm amputated; if that diagnosis was made before the infection spread and worsened, the patient would not have lost that arm. With cancer, a timely diagnosis can be the difference between life and death or between less invasive treatment options and expensive, longer-term medical care that leaves the patient emotionally and physically drained.
How Financial Compensation Could Help
Because a delayed diagnosis could result in catastrophic injuries that might affect victims’ abilities to earn a living or leave victims permanently disabled, compensation can help them replace income or pay for costly therapies. To help patients regain their independence and mobility after a delayed diagnosis that resulted in catastrophic injury, compensation could help them cover the cost of rehabilitation therapies and future medical procedures.
Timelines to File a Personal Injury Claim
In most circumstances, a patient has two years to file a delayed diagnosis case in the State of Georgia. There is a new injury exception, though, which happens when the patient is not immediately diagnosed but is subsequently symptom-free for a period of time, and he or she would not have had reason to believe he or she had not been properly diagnosed; however, a new injury from the missed diagnosis arises later on. The two-year time period to file a delayed diagnosis case does not start at the time of the original failure to diagnose but at the time that the symptoms attributable to the new injury manifest. This is a very difficult and fact specific exception, which should be analyzed by an experienced, medical malpractice attorney.
Talk to an Attorney About the Many Important Factors of a Delayed Diagnosis Case
If you believe that you have a delayed diagnosis case and have suffered injuries or damages as a result of a delayed diagnosis, it is important to consult an Atlanta delayed diagnosis attorney who could thoroughly investigate your case and determine if there was malpractice. Reaching out to an attorney is perhaps one of the most important aspects to an Atlanta delayed diagnosis hearing. Call today to speak directly to an attorney who is able to: consult with an in-house medical professional, utilize cutting-edge technology, offer a free case review, and take calls after hours.
