In Stroudsburg, PA, patients trust their healthcare providers to deliver accurate diagnoses that guide their treatment and recovery. However, when a medical professional fails to diagnose a condition correctly, the consequences can be
devastating, leading to unnecessary suffering, worsened health outcomes, or even life-threatening complications. If you or a loved one has been a victim of a misdiagnosis, you may be entitled to compensation.
With our deep understanding of Pennsylvania medical malpractice laws and a proven track record of success, our Stroudsburg medical malpractice attorneys are committed to fighting for your rights and securing the justice you deserve. Call today to schedule a free consultation.
How a Serious Is a Misdiagnosis in Stroudsburg, PA?
Getting the medical care you need to recover from an illness starts with an accurate diagnosis. Early and accurate diagnosis allows for timely medical intervention, which is often critical in preventing a disease or condition from worsening. Serious conditions like cancer especially rely on early detection, diagnosis, and treatment.
A misdiagnosis can lead to all kinds of adverse outcomes for the patient. An incorrect diagnosis can lead to unnecessary invasive treatments or the wrong medication being administered. Meanwhile, the real condition goes untreated and progresses, worsening the patient’s prognosis. Furthermore, incorrect treatment can result in increased medical bills for treatments that are not only ineffective but also potentially harmful. Patients might incur additional costs for correcting the misdiagnosis or treating new problems that arise.
If you or someone in your family suffered serious consequences because of an incorrect, delayed, or missed diagnosis at a healthcare facility in Monroe County, contact a medical malpractice attorney at Munley Law today for a free consultation. Under Pennsylvania law, you may be entitled to pursue compensation for your medical bills and other losses related to your mistreatment.
When Misdiagnosis Qualifies as Malpractice in Stroudsburg
An incorrect diagnosis is not always the result of malpractice. Some conditions don’t present symptoms until they have
progressed significantly; other rare or complex medical conditions can be difficult even for experts to diagnose. However, there are situations where doctors’ failures to follow the standard of care lead to a false or missed diagnosis that could have been prevented.
Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare provider deviates from the accepted standard of care. The standard of care refers to the level of competence and skill that a similarly qualified medical professional would provide under similar circumstances. If a doctor’s actions, or lack thereof, fall below this standard and result in a misdiagnosis, it may be considered malpractice.
For your Stroudsburg medical malpractice lawyer to prove a successful medical malpractice misdiagnosis claim, they will need to prove the following:
- The existence of a doctor-patient relationship. This establishes the duty of care the doctor owes to the patient.
- A breach of the standard of care. This often requires expert testimony from other medical professionals.
- Causation. Your Stroudsburg personal injury attorneys must demonstrate that the doctor’s actions caused you to suffer harm.
- Damages. You will need to show that you suffered physical, psychological, financial, and other losses as a result of the harm caused by the misdiagnosis.
How a Medical Malpractice Lawyer Determines Who Is Liable for a Medical Misdiagnosis in Stroudsburg
Depending on the case’s specifics, several parties can be liable for a medical misdiagnosis in Stroudsburg.
The Treating Physician: The doctor who failed to diagnose the condition correctly is often the primary party liable in a misdiagnosis case. This could be due to failing to order the necessary tests, misinterpreting test results, not taking the patient’s symptoms seriously, or not referring the patient to a specialist when needed.
Specialists: If a patient is referred to a specialist and that specialist fails to diagnose the condition correctly, the specialist could be held liable. Specialists are expected to have a higher level of expertise in their field, and failing to recognize or correctly diagnose a condition within their specialty can constitute negligence.
Hospitals: Sometimes, the hospital or medical facility where the misdiagnosis occurred can be held liable. This might be the case if the facility failed to maintain proper equipment, employed underqualified staff, or had policies that contributed to the misdiagnosis.
Labs and Technicians: If a misdiagnosis results from incorrect lab work, such as errors in blood tests, imaging, or other diagnostic tests, the laboratory or diagnostic center could be liable. This might include issues like faulty equipment, human error in interpreting results, or failure to communicate results accurately to the treating physician.
Your personal injury lawyer in Stroudsburg will identify any responsible parties in your case and pursue all avenues to justice.
Types of Misdiagnosis in Stroudsburg
Each type of misdiagnosis presents unique challenges and risks, and any of them can have serious consequences. If you or a loved one has experienced any misdiagnosis in Stroudsburg, seeking legal advice is important.
Delayed Diagnosis
A delayed diagnosis occurs when a healthcare provider eventually identifies the correct condition but only after a significant and harmful delay. This delay can allow the condition to worsen or progress to a more advanced stage, ultimately affecting the patient’s outcome.
Missed Diagnosis
A missed diagnosis occurs when a healthcare provider fails to diagnose an existing medical condition. Missed diagnoses can happen if a doctor fails to order the appropriate tests, misinterprets the results, or dismisses the patient’s symptoms.
False Diagnosis
A false diagnosis, also known as a misdiagnosis, occurs when a healthcare provider diagnoses the patient with the wrong condition. As a result, the patient may receive unnecessary or incorrect treatment while the actual condition remains untreated.
How a Stroudsburg Medical Negligence Lawyer Can Help You
A lawyer can assess the details of your case to determine whether the misdiagnosis qualifies as medical malpractice. This involves evaluating the medical records, consulting with experts, and determining whether the standard of care was breached.
As mentioned above, for your medical malpractice claim to be successful, you must prove that your doctor breached the standard of care. To prove this, your attorneys will obtain expert testimony from medical professionals who can confirm that the doctor’s actions were negligent. Lawyers can interview healthcare providers, witnesses, and other 
relevant parties to obtain statements and testimony that bolster your case. Hiring medical experts can be expensive; we assume all the financial costs of pursuing your case at Munley Law, and we only get paid if we win.
Your lawyer will help you seek compensation for economic damages, including medical bills, lost wages, and future medical expenses related to the misdiagnosis. In addition to economic losses, a lawyer will fight for non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life.
Call Our Experienced Stroudsburg Misdiagnosis Attorneys Today
The misdiagnosis lawyers at Munley Law offer free consultations so you can get the answers you need at no cost and no risk. Schedule your free consultation today and begin the process toward justice.
Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys
27 N 6th St,
Stroudsburg, PA 18360
(570) 338-4494
