Montgomery Misdiagnosis & Failure to Diagnose Lawyer

We often trust our healthcare professionals to diagnose and treat any medical conditions that we cannot handle ourselves. Unfortunately, not every healthcare provider will properly use the knowledge and tools at their disposal to provide patients with the care they deserve. This can result in a doctor misdiagnosing or failing to diagnose a serious illness entirely. If you or a family member suffered an injury due to a misdiagnosis, you should consult with an experienced Montgomery misdiagnosis and failure to diagnose lawyer.

The Morrison Law Firm can help you hold a negligent healthcare provider responsible for failing to diagnose an illness. A misdiagnosis can result in a patient losing valuable time that could have been used to receive treatment to avoid further injury. You should not have to bear the burden of an injury caused by a doctor’s negligence. To schedule a free legal consultation, call The Morrison Law Firm at (334) 625-6128, or contact us online.

Three Types of Diagnosis Claims

To be properly treated for a certain illness, your healthcare provider must first diagnose the type of illness that you have contracted. However, if your doctor cannot determine what are you suffering from, this can lead to a treatment plan that has hazardous consequences for your health. If a patient is suffering from a potentially deadly disease like cancer, a misdiagnosis means the loss of precious time that could have been used to find suitable treatment options. This is why it is important for healthcare practitioners to run sufficient tests if a patient believes they are sick.

The following is a list of common diagnosis errors.

Misdiagnosis

A misdiagnosis is when a physician mistakes the signs and symptoms of one illness for another type of illness. For example, a common warning sign of cancer is an unusual growth or lumps underneath the skin. However, some doctors fail to make this connection.

Misdiagnosis also means that because a physician could not recognize the ailment a person was afflicted with, they may treat them for another illness. While some treatments performed after a misdiagnosis could be harmless to a patient, other treatments could lead to serious consequences. For example, undergoing chemotherapy if you do not have cancer can cause several health issues. It is also important to remember that the actual cause of a patient’s illness will go untreated until the misdiagnosis is discovered.

Failure to Diagnose

A failure to diagnose issue occurs when a medical practitioner leads a patient to believe they are healthy even though they are actually sick. For example, if a doctor mistakes a flu symptom as a sign of a simple common cold, they could instruct a patient to wait it out. Failure to diagnose often happens because a healthcare provider will fail to perform additional tests after making a diagnosis. A doctor that does not adequately investigate their diagnosis may be held liable for medical malpractice.

Delay in Diagnosis

A delay in diagnoses is when a doctor properly diagnoses a patient but only after a long period of time has passed. For example, if a patient contracts HIV and their healthcare providers do not recognize the symptoms until almost a year has passed, this can make it difficult to properly treat the patient at a later date. A delay in diagnosis claim can result in a healthcare provider being held responsible for any changes to the patient’s health that made their condition worsen.

When to File a Claim for Medical Malpractice

The statute of limitations dictates how long a plaintiff has to file a certain type of lawsuit; this includes medical malpractice lawsuits. The purpose of the statute of limitations is to prevent a person from filing a lawsuit several years after an injury which will make the case harder to adjudicate.

In Alabama, the filing deadline for medical malpractice lawsuits is two years from the date the malpractice was committed. This means that your case will accrue on the day that a doctor fails to diagnose your illness. If you do not file your claim within the allotted amount of time, you risk the court barring your claim. This will eliminate your ability to pursue legal compensation. However, it is important to note that depending on the circumstances of your case; you may be able to delay your filing deadline.

Our Alabama Failure to Diagnose Attorneys Can Help You File Your Medical Malpractice Lawsuit

If you or family member was injured because a doctor failed to diagnose a serious illness, you should contact an experienced Alabama failure to diagnose attorney today. Failure to diagnose lawyer Rick Morrison possesses over two decades of legal experience that he will utilize to help you pursue the legal compensation that you deserve. The Morrison Law Firm understands the stress and frustration associated with receiving an inaccurate diagnosis, and we are here for you. To schedule a free legal consultation to discuss your potential claim, call The Morrison Law Firm at (334) 625-6128, or contact us online.