Delayed Diagnosis

In most instances, obtaining an accurate diagnosis in a timely manner is critical to attaining the most effective treatment for an illness or medical condition. We rely on doctors to provide accurate diagnoses in a prompt manner, and when they negligently fail to do so they should be held accountable for any harm caused by the delay. If you believe your health was adversely affected or you lost a loved one due to a delayed diagnosis, it is advisable to retain a seasoned Cape Cod medical malpractice lawyer to assist you in pursuing compensation for your harm.

At the Law Offices of John C. Manoog, III, our attorneys have more than fifteen decades of collective experience helping residents of Cape Cod who have been injured due to the negligence of others. We have the skills and experience needed to help you navigate the complexities of a medical malpractice case in the Massachusetts courts, and will vigorously pursue the full amount of damages you may be owed. Our legal team has obtained several multimillion-dollar settlements and verdicts for our injured clients.

In many cases, a delayed diagnosis will be caused by a doctor’s inattentiveness. For example, a doctor may fail to obtain an accurate description of a patient’s symptoms, or may not place sufficient significance on a patient’s symptoms and may therefore fail to order appropriate tests or refer the patient to a specialist to determine the cause of the symptoms. In some cases, a doctor will order diagnostic tests but will misinterpret lab results or diagnostic imaging. A late diagnosis can result in progression of a disease and may lead to subsequent conditions and health issues as well. For example, if cancer is not diagnosed in a timely manner, it may metastasize, resulting in an increased need for treatment and a higher risk of fatality.

If you suffered harm due to a delayed diagnosis, the law affords you a right to seek compensation. In Massachusetts, a party seeking damages for a delayed diagnosis will typically institute a lawsuit in which he or she alleges the doctor’s negligence in failing to provide a prompt diagnosis constitutes medical malpractice.

To prove a negligence claim in a malpractice case, you must show that the doctor breached the applicable standard of care. Unlike most negligence claims in which the reasonable person standard applies, the standard of care in a negligence claim against a doctor is the care and skill a competent doctor practicing in the same area of expertise would exercise in similar circumstances. In addition to proving the standard of care the doctor must comply with, you must show that the doctor breached the standard of care by failing to diagnose you in a timely manner. Lastly, you must prove that the delay caused you actual harm. In other words, if the delay in receiving a diagnosis did not adversely affect your health or cause you financial or emotional harm, you cannot recover damages.

In the majority of medical malpractice cases, expert testimony is needed to establish both the standard of care and the manner in which the doctor’s actions or inactions constituted a breach of that standard.

A delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis can result in the need for additional medical treatment and may impair your physical and emotional health. If you were injured due to a delayed diagnosis, you may be able to recover the cost of any medical expenses caused by the delay. If you could not work due to the harm caused by the delay, you may be able to recover damages for lost earnings as well. In addition to compensation for your economic harm, you may also be awarded damages for pain and suffering.

Typically, a timely diagnosis is essential to receiving the best treatment possible for an illness or medical condition. If you sustained harm due to a delayed diagnosis or other malpractice, it is wise to meet with a skilled medical negligence attorney as soon as possible to discuss your options for seeking compensation from the doctor or hospital responsible for your injuries. The legal team at of the Law Offices of John C. Manoog, III, will work tirelessly to help you seek any compensation you may be able to recover. We have a record of obtaining favorable outcomes on behalf of our clients, with multiple verdicts in the millions. We assist parties injured by delayed diagnoses in Cape Cod and are also available for consultations in Plymouth and Hyannis. You can reach us through our online form or at (888) 262-6664 to set up a consultation. Nós Falamos Português.