Indianapolis Wrongful Diagnosis Attorneys: How to Handle a Medical Malpractice Misdiagnosis

Diagnosis-related errors are more common than most of us want to ever think about. In fact, there are more medical malpractice suits filed as a result of diagnosis errors than nearly any other type of malpractice suit in the United States.

Diagnosis Mistakes Can Be Malpractice

Maybe it’s that time of year again, when what starts as a little cold turns into something much, much worse. So what do you do? Many times, people will go to their doctor to get prescribed medicine to remedy the ailment. 

Now, imagine going to your doctor because you have specific symptoms. They tell you that you are suffering from the flu, pneumonia, or another respiratory illness that can be fixed quickly. However, your symptoms persist and something else is clearly wrong. When enough is enough, you find out later that you actually have lung cancer. The delay in diagnosing your condition also means a delay in obtaining the correct treatment. 

This delay in diagnosis and treatment can be detrimental and oftentimes life-altering. If this situation or something like this sounds familiar, an Indianapolis wrongful diagnosis lawyer at Wilson Kehoe Winingham is here to represent you and get you the justice you deserve. 

Though you cannot go back in time, the wrong diagnosis lawyers at WKW can help make sure that you get the compensation you need in order to live life to the fullest and hold the medical professional accountable for their diagnosis error.

Medical Malpractice Misdiagnosis

Cases in which a mistake in diagnosis can qualify as medical malpractice include: 

• The wrong diagnosis
• Delayed diagnosis
• Emergency room diagnosis
• Failure to diagnose a disease that is commonly related to a correct diagnosis
• Failure to recognize signs and symptoms 
• Failure to diagnose a disease when the patient is seeing the doctor for another, unrelated cause 

These diagnose errors are common, and many times extremely impactful to your health and well being. There are also many reasons why a medical malpractice misdiagnosis happens in the first place. 

Causes of diagnose errors can include:

• Lack of adequate tests
• Misreading or misinterpreting test results, charts, and records
• Doctor’s lack of time spent with the patient
• Doctor’s lack of training in a specific health area 
• System and software errors

These causes are not excuses. No matter the cause, the Indianapolis wrongful diagnosis attorneys at WKW will fight for your justice. If a doctor or medical professional makes a mistake, they need to be held accountable for their misdiagnosis. Their negligence resulted in your suffering. 

Get more information about questions like “What is medical misdiagnosis?” and more on our medical malpractice blog.

And if your condition is radiology specific, learn more about common radiology errors here.

Making The Wrong Diagnosis

When doctors misdiagnose your health issue, it means you have symptoms that indicate one problem but you are diagnosed with a different problem. Misdiagnosis can lead to serious medical complications and can be a candidate for medical malpractice lawsuits.

Delayed Diagnosis

Heart issues, cancer, or other illnesses that are not diagnosed immediately can result in additional health problems—and, in serious cases, even death. When a diagnosis is wrong, meaning there was something more seriously wrong with you when you received your first diagnosis, the outcome can be severe. 

Failure to diagnose right away can cause major harm to you and your loved ones who are seeing you suffer. Delayed diagnosis is dangerous. Talk to a wrongful diagnosis attorney in Indianapolis at WKW today if your diagnosis has been delayed.

Emergency Room Diagnosis

Many of us have to depend on emergency rooms for care when we suddenly develop scary medical symptoms. Unfortunately, these facilities are equipped to deal with sudden illness and are not necessarily equipped to make an accurate diagnosis. Appendicitis, pulmonary embolisms, meningitis, and heart attacks may also be regularly misdiagnosed in an emergency room.

Failure to Diagnose a Disease That Is Commonly Related to a Correct Diagnosis

There are many diseases that are related to each other. Meaning, if a patient shows up with one disease, they may also have a disease that either follows suit or coincides with the orginal disease. And in some cases, the disease that goes undiagnosed may even have the more severe health risks. If a patient has two related diseases, they must both be addressed. 

Failure to Recognize Signs and Symptoms

The human body is complicated, and many signs and symptoms of different diseases and conditions are similar. A doctor may make the correct diagnosis, which is always good. However, if the doctor does not recognize a sign or symptom which causes complications for the diagnosis, this can result in medical malpractice misdiagnosis. 

Can Pneumonia Be Misdiagnosed?

Absolutely. There are many different types of pneumonia, including viral and bacterial. Pneumonia can also lead to chronic conditions. If you have respiratory issues, make sure your doctor is considering all possibilities, including pneumonia. 

Failure to Diagnose a Disease When the Patient Is Seeing the Doctor for Another, Unrelated Cause

A medical professional is trained to recognize if you are showing signs for another cause other than the reason you are originally seeing them for. If you see a doctor for something—small or large—and the doctor misses a major diagnosis, this counts as medical malpractice misdiagnosis. This can be scary, especially since you may not even feel what’s happening in your body, and it can get worse the further the diagnosis is delayed. 

Delayed Diagnosis Lawsuit

Because signs and symptoms do overlap so often when it comes to medical decisions, medical malpractice lawsuits are some of the more complicated lawsuits to pursue. However, the Indianapolis wrongful diagnosis attorneys here at WKW are here to evaluate your misdiagnosis and build a strong legal case.

For a medical malpractice lawsuit, there are some important factors for building your case. The first is that you must have not received the care you needed, making the doctor’s misdiagnosis the reason for your severe health concern.

In medical malpractice cases, and really in life in general, it’s also important to keep track of the timeline of your own signs and symptoms and the doctor’s actions taken in response. Doing this provides evidence for a case and can be helpful just for your own state of mind.

The doctor’s misdiagnosis also needs to be because the doctor took the wrong steps to diagnose—or misdiagnosed—you. If they responded to your communications in ways that lead to an incorrect diagnosis, we can further discover why the diagnosis was delayed and/or wrong. 

Diagnose Errors Compensation

Although we wish we could go back in time to undo the delayed or misdiagnosed condition, there are still ways to fight for justice. You can seek compensation for medical malpractice misdiagnosis. 

Money does not solve health issues or turn back the clock, but it can alleviate some of the stress of medical bills and let you focus on your healing. In addition, when you do win your delayed diagnosis lawsuit, more patients just like you can be protected from misdiagnosis from the same doctor. 

Medical Malpractice Misdiagnosis Statute of Limitations

In Indiana, the statute of limitations for medical malpractice lawsuits is two years from the day of the diagnosis error. There are some exceptions to this law, but as a general rule, the two year limit is in effect. Even so, starting your failure to diagnose malpractice case as soon as possible is the best course of action. 

Speak with a diagnosis error attorney at WKW so we can start on your case right away. Medical malpractice suits take time to build; starting as soon as possible will make your case as strong as it can be. 

That being said, if there is a delay between the date of your misdiagnosis and when you contact the Indianapolis wrongful diagnosis attorneys here at WKW, we are here for you to represent you and we’ll continue to pour all of our resources into getting you the justice you deserve. 

Contact a Medical Malpractice Attorney Today

If you or a loved one have been harmed because a doctor did not properly diagnose an illness or disease, contact the attorneys of Wilson Kehoe Winingham. Wrong diagnosis by doctors is a serious issue and those doctors need to be held accountable. 

Whether it’s a misdiagnosed heart attack lawsuit, you’re seeking stroke misdiagnosis compensation, or anything along the same lines, an experienced Indianapolis medical malpractice lawyer at WKW can help you get the compensation you deserve. Call 317.886.1924 or fill out an online contact form for a free, no-obligation case evaluation.

Want more information? Get answers to your questions like “How often does medical malpractice occur?” here!