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Misdiagnosis is a very serious problem in American medicine. The New York medical malpractice attorneys at Lipsig Law represent individuals who have suffered injuries and losses due to a misdiagnosis. Our attorneys have many years of experience securing settlements and verdicts for those harmed by misdiagnosis.
Misdiagnoses Are Alarmingly Common
According to a 2006 report in the New York Times, autopsy studies show that in about 20% of the cases in which a doctor diagnoses a fatal illness, it’s a misdiagnosis. This adds up to literally millions of misdiagnoses. Worse still, this alarming rate of misdiagnosis hasn’t changed significantly since the 1930s, as reported by the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Common Examples of Misdiagnosis
Other estimates of misdiagnosis have ranged from 12% in cancer cases to 22%/40% in emergency room and ICU (intensive care unit) cases. In fact, misdiagnosis is one of the most common mistakes in the healthcare system. A misdiagnosis can take place at one or more of the many steps in the medical process, and there are several ways that a diagnosis can “go wrong.” Examples include:
- A benign tumor is misdiagnosed as malignant
- Malignant tumors are misdiagnosed as non-cancerous
- Patients with a greater-than-normal risk for a specific medical condition are not screened for it
- Doctors fail to refer his or her patients to a specialist for further testing
- A doctor fails to understand the seriousness of a patient’s medical condition, or its true nature
- No follow-up is done for a patient, although a medical problem should have been suspected
- The type or stage of a disease is misclassified
- Tissue or tumor specimens are misinterpreted or handled improperly by a technician or physician
- An aspect of the patient’s medical care is delegated to inexperienced or unqualified staff
Tragic Results
A misdiagnosis can have catastrophic results. Fatalities, permanent injuries and disabilities, and even loss of the ‘wrong’ limb have followed misdiagnoses. A patient may not receive life-saving treatment because of a misdiagnosis, or s/he may undergo painful, costly, unnecessary, and/or debilitating treatment based on a faulty diagnosis.
Talk to an Experienced Attorney About Your Misdiagnosis
Individuals and families who have suffered due to a misdiagnosis can find top-notch legal representation at Lipsig Law. Contact our New York Medical Malpractice Attorneys today about your circumstances.