Failure to Diagnose Lawyers in Chicago

Representing Victims of Medical Misdiagnosis

The failure to diagnose or a misdiagnosis of a serious medical condition can mean the difference between life and death. Proper diagnosis is crucial to the administration of appropriate medical treatment and failing to do so can delay or prevent necessary medical treatment or cause adverse drug reactions. With this in mind, failure to diagnose and misdiagnosis are some of the most common types of medical malpractice.

At Cogan & Power, P.C., our Chicago failure to diagnose attorneys focus on helping the victims of all types of medical malpractice, including the failure to diagnose, surgical errors, obstetrical negligence, and pharmaceutical errors, recover for their injuries, and losses. Our teamwork approach gives clients a big-firm level of legal competence while maintaining a small-firm feel in regard to attention and service to clients. For these reasons, clients communicate directly with our partners rather than an associate, and we can even meet with clients in their homes or healthcare facilities when they are unable to travel.

Wait no longer to fight for the compensation you deserve. To schedule your consultation, contact us online or at (312) 477-2500!

Causes of Misdiagnosis and Failure to Diagnose

Doctors are responsible for accurately diagnosing patients so they can render the appropriate treatment. However, a doctor may fail to make a proper diagnosis for common reasons such as:

• Inadequate physical examination

• Failure to perform regular screenings

• Failure to recognize indications of a potential medical problem

• Failure to heed a patient’s complaints

• Failure to order appropriate tests

• Misinterpretation of test results

• Misdiagnosis of a cancerous tumor as benign

• Failure to provide adequate follow-up care

• Delayed referrals to specialists

Commonly Misdiagnosed Medical Conditions

Now that you have a better understanding of the common causes of misdiagnosis and failure to diagnose, it will help you to know some misdiagnosed medical conditions that are more likely to result in a medical malpractice claim than others. These medical conditions include:

• Cancer, especially breast, colon, prostate, brain, lung, cervical, or skin cancer
• Allergic reactions
• Meningitis
• Stroke
• Lyme disease
• Parasitic infections of the gastrointestinal tract
• Heart attacks

Failure to Diagnose Cancer

Cancer is an aggressive medical condition that requires immediate treatment. The failure to properly diagnose cancer, or a delayed diagnosis, can mean the difference between life and death and can significantly impair the patient’s quality of life. Unfortunately, the failure to diagnose cancer, including misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis, is one of the most common types of medical malpractice.

A doctor may inaccurately or fail to diagnose cancer for a number of reasons, which include:

• Failure to perform a mammogram
• Failure to perform an ultrasound or biopsy
• Failure to perform an MRI
• Failure to properly perform a biopsy
• Failure to consider a patient’s medical and family history
• Failure to follow up with the patient
• Failure to refer the patient to a specialist
• Failure to respond to patient symptoms that could indicate cancer, such as breast lumps, rectal bleeding, and abnormal pap smears
• Misinterpretation of test results, including x-rays, mammograms, ultrasounds, biopsies, and MRI results

What Causes a Doctor to Delay a Diagnosis?

Sometimes, doctors do not diagnose patients in a prompt and timely manner as they should. Although several factors impact these delays, some common reasons for a delayed diagnosis include:

• Inadequate physical examination
• Failure to perform regular screenings
• Failure to recognize indications of a potential medical problem
• Failure to heed a patient’s complaints
• Failure to order appropriate tests
• Misinterpretation of test results
• Misdiagnosis of a cancerous tumor as benign
• Failure to provide adequate follow-up care
• Delayed referrals to specialists

While medical advancements have enabled earlier detection and treatment of diseases and other medical conditions, a delayed diagnosis can be far more detrimental to the patient’s treatment. Patients who have been the victims of a failure to diagnose or a misdiagnosis may suffer from exacerbated injuries or medical conditions, mounting medical bills, and lost wages.

For these reasons and more, we strongly encourage you to contact us at (312) 477-2500 to discuss your situation and learn how our Chicago failure to diagnose lawyers could help.