When you go to a licensed medical professional such as a physician, you expect to be in good hands. If you go to a doctor with a medical problem, you expect to get diagnosed and treated appropriately. When a doctor fails to diagnose a medical condition, or diagnoses it wrongly, your health can be in jeopardy. Sometimes the error can be deadly.
If you went to a doctor who failed to diagnose your lung cancer or diagnosed the wrong condition, you may be eligible for compensation. Contact a Los Angeles failure to diagnose lung cancer lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today to discuss your case in detail at (800) 794-0444.
Responsibilities of Doctors
Doctors have a duty of care to treat their patients respectfully and appropriately. This includes taking seriously any concerns their patients may have and taking the necessary steps to investigate their concerns and diagnose them, treat them, or recommend treatment.
Any time a doctor fails in their duty of care, the patient’s health can be at risk. If a serious disease such as cancer is involved, the patient’s health can be seriously affected. Valuable time can be lost as the disease spreads further and goes untreated.
When a doctor misses a diagnosis or the diagnosis is wrong, it may be a case of medical malpractice. If you had a doctor miss your diagnosis of lung cancer, you may be eligible for compensation and may want to consider hiring a lawyer.
Why Doctors Miss Diagnoses
Occasionally doctors miss diagnoses. Many factors can lead to a doctor either misdiagnosing or missing a diagnosis altogether. These can include:
- Inaccurate lab test results
- Faulty medical equipment
- Human error (by the doctor, a lab technician, or other medical professional)
Doctors are busy people and may overlook a symptom or may fail to get a detailed patient history. They may jump to the wrong conclusion as to why a patient came to see them and think they are only looking for medication or reassurance. Some lung cancer symptoms may even mimic less serious concerns or minor health issues.
Although it is unclear why, California ranks very poorly in treating lung cancer early, according to the American Lung Association’s 2019 State of Lung Cancer report. A lawyer can help to determine whether your missed diagnosis of lung cancer was caused by faulty equipment or human error by a medical professional. If human error was the reason, the determination needs to be made if it was due to negligence.
For a free legal consultation with a Failure to Diagnose Lung Cancer Lawyer serving Los Angeles, call (800) 794-0444
Proving Negligence
Negligence needs to be proven in order to have a chance of being awarded compensation. Doctors may be guilty of negligence when they:
- Miss a diagnosis
- Make a wrong diagnosis
- Fail to order the appropriate medical tests
- Fail to consult with specialists
Furthermore, if a similar doctor presented with the same information would have made a correct diagnosis, negligence may be proven. Likewise, a lab technician could be guilty of negligence if they interpreted the test findings incorrectly or made a mix-up in some way.
A patient also needs to prove that a doctor’s negligence in correctly diagnosing the lung cancer resulted in a worsening progression of the disease further than if it had been caught earlier.
Because of the intricacies of medical reports and talking with various specialists, proving that medical malpractice occurred can be difficult. Hiring a lawyer may be in your best interest.
Los Angeles Failure to Diagnose Lung Cancer Lawyer Near Me (800) 794-0444
Costs of a Missed Lung Cancer Diagnosis
A Los Angeles failure to diagnose lung cancer lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm can listen to the details of your case and advise if you have a case or not. A lawyer will investigate past and current medical records, speak with other medical professionals, and potentially help you win compensation that will help with your medical bills and other costs.
Our team of lawyers can represent you and let you focus on your medical treatment and restoring your health. We can focus on your legal case and winning or earning a settlement for you.
While your lung cancer went undiagnosed, you probably accumulated a lot of costs besides the cost of your health. A lawyer can let you know if you are eligible for compensation that may help with the costs of a missed diagnosis, including:
- Emergency room visits
- Doctor and/or specialist visits
- Treatment such as chemo and radiation
- Medications
- Surgeries
- Hospitalizations
Besides the immediate medical costs, your missed diagnosis can cost you in other ways. Further costs to consider may include:
- Rehabilitation
- Missed work
- Loss of job
- Loss of consortium
- Pain and suffering
According to the California Code of Civil Procedure § 340.5, the statute of limitations to file a medical malpractice lawsuit is just one year after the patient discovers, or should have discovered, the injury, or up to a maximum of three years after the date of the injury, whichever occurs first.
One year goes by quickly, so you do not want to delay in beginning the process that may lead to compensation for you.
Click to contact our Failure to Diagnose Lung Cancer Lawyers today
Do Not Let Fear of Legal Costs Prevent You from Hiring a Lawyer
With all of your mounting medical bills, you may be very hesitant to contact a lawyer and incur legal fees. We do not charge a fee until we win your case. Our fees come from your settlement. Our consultations are free and we are determined to settle your case satisfactorily or we do not get paid.
Your health is the most important thing and you already have suffered due to a missed diagnosis. Do not suffer further by missing an opportunity to win compensation for accumulating costs. Call a Los Angeles failure to diagnose lung cancer lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 794-0444. Our team is ready to help you today.
Call or text (800) 794-0444 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
