A very important problem in American medicine presently is what is known as misdiagnosis.  A misdiagnosis is defined as to when a physician fails to diagnose a patient or even does not diagnose the patient with the correct illness.  Although uncommon, a physician’s neglect is considered medical malpractice.

Medical malpractice misdiagnosis victims have the right to legal action against the negligent party(s).  Some compensation a victim can recover includes:

• Medical expenses connected to the misdiagnosis
• Pain and suffering
• Lost wages – past, present, and future

Families who have lost a family member due to a medical malpractice misdiagnosis are also entitled to some compensation for the loss they are suffering.  It is important to know that there is a legal deadline for an individual to file a case regarding medical malpractice.  These laws, called statute of limitations vary state by state.  An experience attorney should know these laws and will work in a timely manner to have your case heard.  Speak with an attorney right away, if you feel your injury was caused by your doctor’s negligence.

Although there are improvements in modern medicine, physicians still frequently misdiagnose patients. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, since the 1930s, the rate of misdiagnoses in our country has not showed significant improvement.  There was a statistic reported in a 2006 New York Times article that estimated that about one-fifth of every diagnosis involving a fatal illness is misdiagnosed.  Some common conditions that resulted in death because of medical malpractice misdiagnosis are:

• Breast, colon, lung and cervical cancer
• Heart attack, stroke and blood clots
• Meningitis and other severe infections
• Diabetes

Even more statistics show 12% of cancer cases and 22-40% of emergency room/intensive care cases involve a misdiagnosis.

A medical malpractice misdiagnosis may occur when a doctor:

• Misdiagnoses a benign tumor as malignant or vice-versa
• Fails to screen a medical patient for a condition he/she is at high risk for developing
• Fails to perform the necessary testing or fails to refer a patient to a specialist
• Misinterprets lab tests
• Mishandles lab specimens or cuts corners
• Fails to listen to the patient

Injuries can vary because of the above situations.  Depending on the situation, injuries can be less severe to severe, in some cases even deadly.  The consequences can be devastating if a treatment is given to a patient and they do not need it or treatment is needed but never given.  A doctor’s negligence can result in a permanent injury or possibly resulting in death.

Make sure to contact a professional medical malpractice attorney that has many years of experience in malpractice cases.  These attorneys have helped individuals all over the United States in medical malpractice misdiagnosis cases.  An attorney will evaluate your case at no charge so contact an attorney to find out if you have a case.