A failure to diagnose cancer can have devastating consequences, and your grief may also be compounded by the physical, emotional, and financial repercussions. If you’ve been faced with the difficult reality of a medical facility’s failure to accurately diagnose your or a loved one’s cancer in a timely manner, you may have many questions and concerns.
A compassionate Albuquerque medical malpractice attorney at Keller & Keller can help. We’ll help you understand your legal recourse and fight for justice. Our honest, dedicated team has provided the guidance and support people need in medical malpractice cases for over 80 years. We’re ready to help you and your family.
What Is Failure to Diagnose?
A failure to diagnose occurs when a medical professional does not identify or correctly diagnose a condition in a timely manner. Your doctor or health care professional is expected to meet a certain standard of care in providing care and treatment for you as a patient, including accurate and timely diagnosis of medical conditions.
When that standard of care is not met because of a provider’s negligence, it may be considered medical malpractice. Failure to diagnose is a common type of medical malpractice lawsuit.
How a Failure to Diagnose Cancer Happens
There can be multiple causes behind a failure to diagnose cancer. Unfortunately, in many situations, errors in clinical judgment are to blame. This is where it can be critical to have a skilled Albuquerque medical malpractice lawyer assist you; they have the expertise to know what to look for in these cases and how to help prove that the provider was negligent.
A failure to treat or diagnose cancer can occur in many ways, including:
- Not providing adequate standards of care for the patient’s concerns
- Failing to assess the patient’s symptoms accurately
- Misdiagnosing the cancer as a different condition
- Refusing to order appropriate tests to identify the cancer
- Improperly administering tests
- Failing to report testing results or communicate with the patient in a timely manner
- Incorrectly interpreting test results or mixing up test results with another patient’s
- Failing to provide follow-up care and treatment
- Unreasonably delaying a cancer diagnosis
- Not assessing or treating a high-risk patient appropriately
- Other errors in a medical professional’s judgment, care, or treatment
Consequences of a Failure to Diagnose Cancer
A failure to diagnose cancer can have serious consequences. Detecting cancer in a timely manner can be critical to treatment. Delayed, lack of, or incorrect treatment can be catastrophic for someone with cancer. The cancer may progress, and advanced stages allow for fewer treatment options. The person may also develop secondary conditions as a result.
Tragically, survival rates can significantly decrease as a result of a failure to diagnose cancer and may lead to fatal results. If you are facing the difficult reality of a failure to treat cancer or have lost a loved one as a result of a failure to diagnose, our Albuquerque medical malpractice attorney can help you fight for justice.
How Our Albuquerque Medical Malpractice Attorney Can Help
If you or a loved one has been harmed or a loved one has died as a result of a failure to diagnose cancer, you may be eligible to recover damages. At Keller & Keller, we’re highly experienced in dealing with medical malpractice, and we understand how intensely emotional and difficult it can be for everyone involved. Our Albuquerque medical malpractice attorney team can help ease the stress; we’re experts in New Mexico medical malpractice law. We can evaluate the situation, gather evidence, work with medical experts, and review evidence to establish negligence, negotiate with providers, or file a lawsuit. If necessary, we’ll represent you or your loved one in court.
At Keller & Keller, we care deeply about our clients. We’re results-driven because results matter to you and your family. We will walk with you every step of the way for the justice you and your family deserve. When you or a loved one has suffered physical, emotional, financial, and other losses as a result of a failure to diagnose cancer, we understand the tremendous impact and serious pain it can cause. You don’t have to face it alone. Let Keller & Keller’s experienced, caring Albuquerque medical malpractice attorney team take on the legal burden and fight for your rights.
