Baltimore Delayed Diagnosis Lawyer
Of all the medical malpractice cases, those involving a delayed diagnosis are some of the most common. A delayed diagnosis occurs when a healthcare professional fails to diagnose a patient’s condition in a timely manner and so, the illness becomes worse. Delayed diagnoses are extremely harmful to patients and individuals will incur many additional injuries as a result. If you or someone you love has been harmed due to a delayed diagnosis, our Baltimore delayed diagnosis lawyer can advise on your case and help you claim any damages you are entitled to.
What is a Delayed Diagnosis?
A delayed diagnosis occurs when a medical diagnosis is not made in a timely manner. Delayed diagnoses pose serious risk to patients, including a condition becoming much worse, life-changing complications, and even wrongful death. For example, someone may visit their doctor concerned about a lump on their arm. The doctor may say it is nothing more than a swollen gland and that it is of no concern. Later, the patient may learn they are suffering from metastasized breast cancer and the lump on their arm is actually a tumor.
Delayed diagnoses are extremely harmful because it places patients at risk for a worsening condition. In the above example, the patient may not have as many treatment options available to them as they would have had with a timely diagnosis because their cancer has advanced beyond a certain point.
When is a Delayed Diagnosis Medical Malpractice?
Not every delayed diagnosis is consideredmedical malpractice. For example, a doctor may order many tests to try and determine the condition a patient is suffering from. If the first few tests come back negative, but they were appropriate given the patient’s symptoms, that would not likely constitute medical malpractice.
A delayed diagnosis is medical malpractice only when a healthcare professional was negligent. This means they must have breached the appropriate standard of care, which caused the patient to suffer injury. To prove medical malpractice, patients must show that the medical professional breached the standard of care owed to them, and that they incurred injury as a result.
In Baltimore, anyone filing a medical malpractice claim must provide expert testimony that confirms the defendant breached the standard of care. The expert must be a medical professional that practices in the same specialty as the defendant. The testimony of the medical professional must also establish that another reasonable medical professional would have made the diagnosis in a more timely manner.
Our Medical Malpractice Lawyer in Baltimore Can Help with Your Injuries
If you were the victim of a delayed diagnosis and your condition became worse as a result, our Baltimore medical malpractice lawyer can advise on your case. At Wais, Vogelstein, Forman, Koch & Norman, LLC, our skilled attorneys have the extensive experience medical malpractice cases require and we will help you claim maximum damages for your injury. Call us today at 410.567.0800 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation so we can review your case.
