Charlottesville Misdiagnosis Attorney
When a patient is experiencing medical symptoms that are indicative of a certain condition, they visit their doctor to get a correct diagnosis and treatment. Indeed, it is because patients so highly value their doctors’ opinions that they turn to them for accurate information, rather than relying on online symptom checkers and the wisdom of the internet. What can be so disheartening, then, is learning–well after the fact–that a doctor has misdiagnosed a condition. At the law office of MichieHamlett, our Charlottesville misdiagnosis attorneys can help you if you or a loved one has been misdiagnosed and has suffered harm as a result. Call us today to get the legal help you need.
The Consequences of a Misdiagnosis
When a patient is misdiagnosed, damages that a patient incurs result from two primary, direct complications of the misdiagnosis: 1) the patient is treated for a condition that they do not have, and 2) the patient does not receive treatment for a condition that they do have.
The patient is treated for a condition that they do not have–
If a patient is treated for a condition they do not have, they may be asked to take certain medications with harsh side effects, undergo invasive surgeries, make lifestyle changes, and may experience pain, suffering, emotional distress and incur high medical bills and suffer lost wages simultaneously. In some scenarios, a misdiagnosis could result in very tragic consequences for a patient, such as the removal of a kidney unnecessarily.
The patient does not receive treatment for a condition that they do have–
In addition to suffering harm as a result of unnecessary treatment for the wrong condition, the patient’s original (misdiagnosed) condition will go untreated. This means that the patient may continue to experience adverse symptoms, and that the condition could be exacerbated as a result of not being treated. For example, if a patient has cancer that isn’t diagnosed and treated, the cancer could spread, resulting in tragic consequences.
Filing a Claim for Medical Malpractice
When a patient is misdiagnosed, the patient should hire an attorney who can investigate the case and work with medical experts to determine why the misdiagnosis occurred. Often, medical malpractice in the form of failing to refer the patient to a specialist, failing to correctly interpret test results, failing to order certain diagnostic tests, and other medical errors is to blame. If medical malpractice was the cause of the misdiagnosis and the subsequent harm a patient suffered, the patient maintains the right to file a medical malpractice claim and seek damages for the value of their economic and noneconomic damages.
Call Our Charlottesville Misdiagnosis Attorney Today
At the law office of MichieHamlett, we understand how much you’ve suffered as a result of your doctor’s medical malpractice, and we want to help. When you call our law firm, you can count on us to build your case, work with medical experts, and aggressively advocate for you. We offer free consultations, work on a contingency fee basis, and can travel to your location. Please call us directly today or email us for the support and legal advice you need.
