Did a doctor fail to diagnose your cancer or incorrectly diagnose your condition in Indianapolis, Indiana? An Indianapolis cancer misdiagnosis lawyer at Wilson Kehoe Winingham Injury Lawyers can investigate the care you received and determine whether a medical error affected your treatment. Contact us at (317) 920-6400 to schedule a free consultation.
Our attorneys have 124 years of combined experience and have recovered millions of dollars for injured clients. We understand how difficult it can be to learn that cancer may have been detected sooner or that you received treatment based on an incorrect diagnosis.
How Wilson Kehoe Winingham Injury Lawyers Can Help With a Cancer Misdiagnosis Case in Indianapolis, IN
Cancer misdiagnosis claims often involve years of medical records and difficult questions about what a reasonably careful medical provider should have done. Wilson Kehoe Winingham Injury Lawyers can look closely at the care you received and determine whether you may have a medical malpractice claim.
Depending on the circumstances, our Indianapolis medical malpractice lawyers can:
- Collect medical records, test results, imaging studies, and pathology reports
- Review the timeline leading up to your cancer diagnosis
- Consult qualified medical professionals about the care you received
- Identify providers who may be responsible for your injuries
- Document the financial and personal consequences of the diagnostic error
- Handle communications with insurers and other parties
- Prepare your case for court when necessary
Dealing with cancer is difficult enough without also trying to figure out whether something went wrong with your medical care. Our Indianapolis personal injury attorneys can handle the legal side of your case while you focus on your health and treatment.
Call our law office in Indianapolis, IN, to arrange a complimentary consultation.
How Can Cancer Be Misdiagnosed or Diagnosed Too Late?
Examples of circumstances that may lead to a cancer misdiagnosis claim include:
- Failing to investigate symptoms that could indicate cancer
- Failing to order appropriate diagnostic tests
- Misreading an imaging study
- Incorrectly interpreting biopsy or pathology results
- Failing to tell a patient about abnormal test results
- Failing to refer a patient to an appropriate specialist
- Losing or mishandling laboratory samples
- Failing to recommend appropriate follow-up testing
- Diagnosing another condition without adequately ruling out cancer
The person or organization responsible will depend on where the diagnostic process went wrong. Physicians, radiologists, pathologists, laboratories, hospitals, and other health care providers could potentially be involved.
What Harm Can Result From a Delayed Cancer Diagnosis?
Depending on the circumstances, the consequences may include:
- Delayed surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, or other treatment
- Additional or more intensive medical procedures
- Unnecessary medical treatment
- Increased medical expenses
- Additional pain and physical limitations
- Lost income during treatment and recovery
- Emotional distress
- Reduced ability to work or perform everyday activities
One of the key issues in a cancer misdiagnosis case is whether the diagnostic mistake actually caused additional harm. Showing that a provider made an error alone is not enough. The evidence must also connect that failure to the patient’s resulting injuries or losses.
What Compensation May Be Available for Cancer Misdiagnosis in Indianapolis?
There is no standard value for a cancer misdiagnosis case. The amount that may be available depends on what happened and how the medical error affected the patient’s health, finances, work, and daily life.
Depending on the case, compensation may account for:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
If a diagnostic error contributed to a patient’s death, surviving family members may have additional legal options. Indiana law also limits the total damages recoverable in medical malpractice claims against qualified health care providers. An attorney can review what happened, determine which damages may be available, and explain any limits that apply.
Who Could Be Responsible for a Cancer Misdiagnosis?
Diagnosing cancer often requires several health care professionals to work together. Because of that, responsibility may not rest solely with the doctor who eventually gave the patient the diagnosis.
Depending on what happened, potentially responsible parties could include physicians, radiologists, pathologists, hospitals, laboratories, or other providers involved in the patient’s testing and care.
Medical records can help piece together the sequence of events. They may show when symptoms were first reported, which tests were ordered, what those tests revealed, and what providers did with that information. Reconstructing that timeline can help identify where the diagnostic process may have gone wrong.
How Do Cancer Misdiagnosis Claims Work Under Indiana Law?
Medical malpractice claims in Indiana may follow procedures that do not apply to ordinary personal injury cases. The Indiana Department of Insurance administers the state’s Medical Malpractice Division and Patient’s Compensation Fund for health care providers who qualify under the Indiana Medical Malpractice Act.
A patient bringing a malpractice claim against a qualified provider generally begins by filing a proposed complaint through the state’s medical malpractice process. A medical review panel may then evaluate the evidence and issue an opinion concerning the claim.
These additional requirements can be difficult to navigate while you are dealing with medical treatment and the effects of a cancer diagnosis. A medical malpractice attorney in Indianapolis can determine which procedures apply and guide your case through the appropriate process.
Contact an Indianapolis Cancer Misdiagnosis Attorney for a Free Consultation
Learning that your cancer might have been found sooner can leave you wondering whether the delay could have been prevented and how it affected your health. Getting answers often starts with taking a close look at the medical care you received.
Wilson Kehoe Winingham Injury Lawyers can review your medical records, investigate the circumstances surrounding the diagnosis, and determine whether you may have a medical malpractice claim. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation with an Indianapolis cancer misdiagnosis lawyer.