Did you suffer needlessly because a healthcare provider failed to promptly diagnose you in Atlanta, GA? Are you considering filing a medical malpractice claim because of the injuries you suffered? If so, the Atlanta medical malpractice lawyers at Malone Law want to help you demand the justice and financial accountability you deserve.
We trust healthcare providers and pay them a lot of money to ensure we receive proper treatment. When your healthcare falls below the standard of care, you deserve to be fairly compensated.
Contact our Atlanta delayed diagnosis lawyers today for a free, confidential case review. Call (770) 390-7550 today.
How Can an Atlanta Medical Malpractice Attorney Help Me With a Delayed Diagnosis Claim?
At Malone Law, we recognize that the third leading cause of death in the United States is medical mistakes. We want to help change that. This is why we have been fighting since 1965 to hold negligent healthcare providers responsible for the harm they cause. We push for change to avoid these preventable injuries.
Proving a delayed diagnosis claim can be challenging because you have to be able to show:
- What your actual diagnosis was
- That the healthcare provider should have been able to properly diagnose it
- That a reasonable healthcare provider would have been able to diagnose the condition more promptly
This can be a lot if you do not have the resources, skills, or legal knowledge to prove your case.
That is why our Atlanta delayed diagnosis attorneys assist our clients through every phase of the case, including:
- Investigation
- Evidence gathering
- Communication with third parties
- Retention of qualified medical experts
- Creation of a customized legal strategy
- Negotiation
- Litigation
Our legal advocacy has led to hundreds of millions of dollars in recovery for our deserving clients throughout Atlanta, Georgia. Find out what makes us different when you contact us for a free case consultation.
What Is Delayed Diagnosis?
A delayed diagnosis occurs when a healthcare provider does not properly diagnose a patient with a condition as soon as they should have been able to under the circumstances.
A delayed diagnosis is different from a misdiagnosis, in which a healthcare provider diagnoses the patient with the wrong medical condition.
In the case of a delayed diagnosis, the healthcare provider does not diagnose the patient with any medical condition at first. Only later is the patient accurately diagnosed with the condition, which should have been diagnosed sooner.
What Are the Potential Consequences of a Delayed Diagnosis?
The consequences of a delayed diagnosis can be tragic. It can cause injuries, permanent disabilities, or death.
Some examples of potential adverse outcomes of delayed diagnoses include:
- The patient is not properly diagnosed with cancer until they reach a later stage, at which point they may have to undergo more invasive medical treatments or are considered terminal.
- The patient has a tumor that grows and becomes inoperable.
- The patient undergoes significant pain until they are properly diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
- The patient undergoes surgery to remedy pain, at which point the medical provider discovers the real problem that the surgery will not alleviate.
As you can see, a delayed diagnosis can be traumatizing. Our team will fight to hold the medical provider accountable for the harm you suffered.
How Common Are Delayed Diagnoses?
Unfortunately, delayed diagnoses are far too common. Diagnostic errors occurred 17% of the time in hospitalized patients, according to one study. The study also found that 9% of patients were misdiagnosed after reviewing autopsies of the patients. According to these figures, thousands of patients die each year because of diagnostic mistakes.
Why Do Delayed Diagnoses Occur?
Delayed diagnoses are often preventable.
They may occur because of mistakes such as:
- Failing to order appropriate diagnostic tests
- Ignoring a patient’s symptoms
- Dismissing a patient’s symptoms as due to age, stress, weight, or other factors
- Attributing symptoms to non-existent psychological issues
- Misinterpreting test results
- Failing to consider alternative explanations for symptoms
- Understaffing
- Failing to refer the patient to a specialist
When a doctor fails to provide care consistent with the standard of care, injured patients may be able to bring a medical malpractice claim against them.
Who Is Responsible For a Delayed Diagnosis in Atlanta, GA?
Various healthcare providers can be potentially responsible for a delayed diagnosis, including:
- Doctors
- Surgeons
- Hospitals
- Laboratories
- Medical technicians
- Nurses
An experienced medical malpractice lawyer in Atlanta can conduct a thorough investigation to determine who is responsible for your injuries.
What Damages Can I Recover in an Atlanta Delayed Diagnosis Claim?
Through a delayed diagnosis claim, you may be able to pursue compensation for the following types of damages:
Medical Expenses
Your delayed diagnosis may have made it necessary for you to receive additional treatments and medical services, such as:
- Diagnostic tests
- Emergency treatment
- Surgeries
- Hospitalizations
- Rehabilitation
- Physical or occupational therapy
- Prescription medications
- Assistive devices
We can help fight for your fair compensation.
Lost Wages
You may have had to take additional time off work to treat your condition. You may have had to use employment benefits like PTO, sick leave, or vacation pay due to your need for additional medical services. Your long-term earning capacity may have been impaired because of the delayed diagnosis.
We can fight for these damages, too.
Pain and Suffering
Our legal team can also fight for the fair recovery of your non-economic damages, which may include:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Reduced quality of life
- Loss of consortium
The potential value of your claim depends on the severity of your injuries, the damages you suffered, and the effect the delayed diagnosis had on your life.
Contact Our Atlanta Misdiagnosis Lawyers For a Free Consultation To Discuss Your Delayed Diagnosis
You have a limited amount of time to file a medical malpractice claim in Georgia. Contact our Atlanta delayed diagnosis attorneys at Malone Law today to protect your legal rights.