Was My Medical Condition Diagnosed By A Marketing “Expert” Or A Doctor?
Medical doctors are supposed to be the expert in their field of medicine. It is always possible that those experts are not nearly as qualified as they should be. Many of these professionals often turn out to be better marketers than practitioners. Medical misdiagnosis, especially missed cancer diagnosis, will likely lead to a missed cure and often results in untimely death. The key to proper treatment is to catch problems early, and missing it prevents proper treatment. The Pennsylvania medical malpractice attorneys at the Philadelphia law firm of Reiff and Bily have been researching and handling numerous misdiagnosis cases since 1979.
Medical misdiagnosis can occur from a failure to properly identify lumps, failure to order proper scans, failure to properly evaluate or handle test results or scans, failure to follow up on results or refer to a specialist for further testing, failure to order a biopsy, misclassifying the type of tumor, or mistaking a cancerous tumor as being benign (non-cancerous) or a non-cancerous tumor as being malignant (cancerous). When a patient complains about certain symptoms, it is possible that their doctor will ignore the complaint due to previous medical history (such as a history of a certain type of pain). Ignoring complaints could lead to a misdiagnosis since the doctor is quick to dismiss complaints and actually ignores the symptoms. Misdiagnosis and professional negligence can cause delayed treatment that can greatly impact the chances of survival and the quality of life of the patient.
Proper diagnosis of certain types of cancer, such as breast, lung, prostate, colon, ovarian, cervical, testicular, and kidney cancer, respond well to early treatment. Other types of cancer, like skin cancer, require early detection due to its painless and often sudden development. Skin cancer can sneak up on you, usually starting out as a harmless mole, sunspot, or an abnormal growth. The risk for skin cancer can be greatly increased due to excess sun exposure and tanning booths or beds.
If there is a single or several symptoms that could be caused by many different conditions, doctors should make a differential diagnosis. Differential diagnosis is a list of the conditions that could cause the symptom(s) and it is the doctor’s duty to then narrow down the list of possible ailments. Doing so helps prevent the doctor from missing a life-threatening or very serious condition that would have normally been overlooked or an earlier rejected diagnosis. It is when a doctor does not fulfill their duty because they do not want to do the work required for proper diagnosis, their patient's condition could result in injury or death.
Misdiagnosis is negligence. When a doctor is negligent, medical mistakes and injuries occur and patients get injured. The medical field is required to treat all patients at a standard level of care. Misdiagnosis can be about any illness, not just cancer. Sometimes a diagnosis can come too late to help a patient, but sometimes having the proper diagnosis can help save a life. A doctor wouldn’t want to have their illnesses misdiagnosed due to negligence, so why should their patients not want the same level of care? View this article for more information about misdiagnosis and cases.
The Pennsylvania medical malpractice lawyers at Reiff and Bily work on a contingent fee basis, charging a small percentage of the recovery. They will not get paid one cent unless there is a successful recovery. They have handled numerous misdiagnosis cases and have successfully recovered in excess of $150 million dollars from their opponents for physical injuries and emotional damages.
If you are in need of an attorney because you or someone you love has suffered due to a misdiagnosis, please call the experienced Pennsylvania medical malpractice lawyers at the law firm of Reiff and Bily.
