Wrongful Diagnosis

Wrongful diagnosis is among the most common medical mistakes, although it’s hard to know how often it occurs. Some 40 percent of patients think they have been a victim of medical error or misdiagnosis. Hospital patient autopsies suggest one in five experienced medical misdiagnosis.

Like other forms of medical malpractice and hospital negligence, wrongful diagnosis is dangerous – whether caused by doctors, hospital staff or technicians. False positive results, false negative results, and equivocal results delay needed healthcare and may force patients to receive treatments or drugs with adverse side effects.

Frequently misdiagnosed diseases include heart attacks, breast cancer, appendicitis, lung cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer and testicular cancer. Other wrongfully diagnosed illnesses are tuberculosis, diabetes, strokes, bacterial meningitis and pulmonary embolism. Misdiagnosis is an especially serious problem in hospital emergency rooms and intensive care units.

Under-diagnosis is common with such medical conditions as Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, osteoporosis, sexually transmitted diseases, hemochromatosis, chronic kidney disease, hypothyroidism and glaucoma.

The personal injury lawyers at ZRFM have trained many health care professionals who want to fill out medical charts in ways that comply with appropriate standards of care. The law firm also advises medical staffs about responding properly to subpoenas and giving appropriate depositions. As your advocate, our wrongful diagnosis lawyers can employ this background to identify many telltale signs of medical error.

Our trial lawyers will review your case, consulting with doctors and any required medical specialists. If we determine that any party engaged in wrongful diagnosis of your medical condition or the health of a loved one, we will vigorously prosecute a claim against the at-fault medical provider. Through a trial or settlement, we can help you recover the financial compensation you deserve for your personal injuries or for the loss of a loved one.