When you visit a medical provider, you will generally present them with a list of symptoms related to the challenges you are facing. From those symptoms, your doctor will work to diagnose you with a condition and provide relevant treatment.
Unfortunately, some care providers may fail in their duty of care to properly diagnose their patients. A seasoned medical malpractice attorney could help you file a claim when a doctor fails to diagnose your condition based on a clear presentation of symptoms. Call a Houston failure to diagnose lawyer with KGS Law Group for more information.
Determining Liability for Failure to Diagnose
An experienced failure to diagnose attorney in Houston could examine several elements to establish liability in a medical malpractice case, including the following:
Doctor/Patient Relationship
The doctor-patient relationship is key to a failure to diagnose claim. Patients who do not have a provider relationship with a doctor do not have the right to file a claim against them, even if the doctor was in a position to diagnose a condition or injury.
Standard of Care and Deviation From
A highly skilled lawyer with KGS Law Group could carefully examine the standard of care in particular cases. This may include how another doctor would have treated or diagnosed the same condition if presented with the same symptoms. A deviation from the standard of care occurs when a doctor does not correctly diagnose a patient based on the symptoms the patient describes or shows.
Resulting Damages
Failure to diagnose a medical condition when presented can lead to a number of potential damages, such as:
- Lack of treatment for symptoms, leading to lost time at work or inability to manage important personal tasks
- Worsening symptoms, which may result in the need for more medical care
- Increased testing, which may occur because the provider fails to diagnose the condition, creating further complications
As part of a claim, a patient must lay out their financial and non-financial damages, including increased medical costs, wage losses, and pain and suffering. Establishing those damages can improve the patient’s ability to pursue compensation.
How Failure to Diagnose Occurs
Doctors can fail to properly diagnose patients for several reasons. They may have packed, busy schedules that do not allow them adequate time to focus on each patient, or there may be inadequate communication between multiple care providers trying to juggle care for a single patient.
In addition, some doctors may discriminate or fail to listen to everything a patient has to say. Regardless of how failure to diagnose occurs, it can substantially impact the patient’s quality of life. A dedicated and well-versed lawyer in Houston could help patients determine what may have led to the lack of diagnosis and how to establish liability.
Contact a Houston Failure to Diagnose Attorney to Go Over Your Case
Failure to diagnose claims can become complicated, especially for patients who have to work with multiple care providers. By partnering with a Houston failure to diagnose lawyer, you can better understand whether your doctor committed negligence in your treatment and how to pursue the compensation you deserve.
Get in touch with the Law Firm of Kinard, Garcia, and Saldana today to discuss your potential medical malpractice case. Our compassionate personal injury attorneys are here to support you throughout the complex legal process.