Misdiagnosis

A 2013 study confirmed that diagnostic errors were the most common type of error resulting in a successful medical malpractice claim over the past 25 years. These included cases where doctors and hospitals had provided incorrect diagnoses, had missed a serious medical problem, or had an unreasonable delay in finding a serious medical condition.

At Seidman Margulis & Fairman, LLP, our skilled Chicago, IL medical malpractice attorneys have extensive experience in cases involving diagnostic errors. We serve clients throughout Illinois in medical negligence cases. Our firm is dedicated to getting our clients the compensation they deserve after suffering a missed, delayed, or incorrect diagnosis.

Diagnostic mistakes are estimated to result in anywhere from 40,000 to 160,000 deaths per year in the United States. Most of these come from missed diagnoses, where patients’ serious health problems were not identified properly. The most common issues include:

• Cancer misdiagnosis
• Delays in identifying breast cancer, leukemia, lung cancer, prostate cancer, and ovarian cancer
• Failure to identify a heart attack or stroke
• Missed appendicitis diagnosis
• Unidentified pulmonary embolism

The difference between an accurate and swift diagnosis and a delayed or missed diagnosis can be the difference between life and death. Cancer survival rates are largely dependent on early detection. If a doctor fails to run the proper tests or fails to properly interpret the tests that were administered, the consequences can be tragic.

Errors in diagnosing a medical condition can be difficult to spot. Hospitals and doctors are not always forthcoming when they have made a mistake. If you are questioning whether the doctor acted properly in diagnosing cancer or another injury, illness, or disease, we can help you. Contact our attorneys at Seidman Margulis & Fairman, LLP, by calling (312) 781-1977. You can also contact us online. We can discuss your situation in a free initial consultation.