Maryland Medical Malpractice Lawyer Blog
It should go without saying that a person who enters a hospital has certain expectations of the level of care they will receive and how the medical staff will behave. Hospitals can be frightening and intimidating, and patients rely on their physicians to ease their apprehensions and concerns. Above all, patients expect to receive the highest level of care, both quickly and meticulously. In this same vein, doctors are expected, and even trained, to make the proper decisions when the time comes to make a diagnosis or recommend the appropriate treatment.
Unfortunately, this standard of care sometimes is taken for granted. Across the country, surgical errors, misdiagnoses and hospital negligence happen all too often. The consequences of such mistakes vary widely – from no injury to the patient to sometimes permanent injuries. When a doctor misses important information, or ignores crucial signs, the result can be a serious misdiagnosis, often leaving a patient in a worse condition. No matter how small the error or resulting injury may be, these medical mistakes cannot be overlooked.
Misdiagnosis is a common error among physician’s that puts a patient’s health and safety at risk. For these reasons, many patients file medical malpractice lawsuits against physicians who negligently misdiagnose an injury or illness. This was the case for a woman in Iowa, who recently was awarded a large settlement in connection with her physician’s serious failure to diagnose an illness. A copy of the article regarding the settlement can be found here.
A State Appeal Board recently approved a $1.5 million medical malpractice award against a hospital for a lawsuit filed by a woman who alleged doctors failed to diagnose her condition correctly. The woman had to have all of her toes amputated due to diabetes, which she alleged the hospital failed to diagnose and properly treat. The woman visited the hospital in July 2010, seeking a diagnosis for her symptoms. She later claimed that the care she received at the hospital was substandard. This level of care, she alleged, resulted in no diagnosis, and the woman’s diabetes went untreated. Unfortunately, this led to the amputation of her toes sometime later.
The woman sued the Iowa medical facility for medical malpractice, alleging that the doctors failed to provide the proper standard of care during her visit. Ultimately, the hospital settled the case for $1.5 million. This past week, that award was approved by the State Appeal Board, ensuring that the woman receives adequate compensation for her physical and emotional pain and suffering as a result of the physician’s failure to diagnose her diabetes.
Patients who feel their health and well-being have been compromised by a physician’s negligence, including a failure to diagnose, may be able to bring a medical malpractice suit. These medical malpractice suits often are complex and require specific attention to detail. Our experienced medical malpractice attorneys successfully have represented dozens of patients who have suffered injury or loss as a result of a physician’s medical negligence. Please contact one of our medical malpractice attorneys if you believe you may be a victim of physician negligence.