Deerfield Beach Failure to Diagnose Lawyer
Florida Failure to Diagnose Attorney Serving Clients in Deerfield Beach
When a patient is experiencing symptoms and seeks a diagnosis from a healthcare provider, the patient should be able to expect that her healthcare provider will use knowledge and experience to provide a proper diagnosis. However, physicians and medical specialists can fail to diagnose illnesses and injuries properly, resulting in severe injuries to patients. For many patients, a healthcare provider’s failure to diagnose often means that the patient receives a misdiagnosis—a diagnosis with the incorrect condition. When patients are misdiagnosed, this often leads to a delayed diagnosis of the actual condition.
When a doctor fails to diagnose cancer or another life-threatening illness or condition, the condition usually worsens before the patient receives an accurate diagnosis. The delay in the diagnosis can result in life-threatening or fatal consequences. If your healthcare provider failed to diagnose your medical condition, you may be able to file a medical malpractice claim. An aggressive Deerfield Beach failure to diagnose lawyer can get started on your case today.
Failure to Diagnose and Medical Malpractice in Deerfield Beach
A healthcare provider’s failure to diagnose may rise to the level of medical malpractice or medical negligence. In order for a plaintiff to be successful in a failure to diagnose claim, she needs to be able to prove the following elements of a successful medical malpractice lawsuit:
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Duty of care: Healthcare provider owed a duty of care to the patient, which is established through the existence of a doctor-patient relationship.
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Breach: Healthcare provider breached the duty of care by providing health care that falls below the established standard of care in that particular medical field.
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Injury/Damages: Patient suffered injuries or recognizable damages.
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Cause: Patient’s injuries resulted from the healthcare provider’s breach of the duty of care.
Under Florida law (Fla. Stat. § 766.102), in any medical malpractice claim, the patient must show that “the alleged actions of the health care provider represented a breach of the prevailing professional standard of care for that health care provider.” The prevailing professional standard of care is defined as the “level of care, skill, and treatment which, in light of all relevant surrounding circumstances, is recognized as acceptable and appropriate by reasonable prudent similar health care providers.
How Failure to Diagnose Injuries Occur in Deerfield Beach
Failure to diagnose injuries can implicate many different healthcare providers. For instance, the result of a failure to diagnose injury might occur because a physician ordered the incorrect tests, or because a lab made a mistake. Or, in other cases, it could turn out that a piece of lab equipment was defective, resulting in a claim against the product designer or manufacturer. The following are examples of parties who may be liable in a failure to diagnose case:
- Hospital;
- Physician;
- Nurse;
- Laboratory where tests were performed;
- Lab technician;
- Designer of lab testing product; and
- Manufacturer of lab testing product.
Contact a Deerfield Beach Failure to Diagnose Lawyer
If you suffered injuries as a result of a delayed diagnosis after a healthcare provider failed to diagnose your illness or condition, you may be eligible to file a medical negligence claim. An experienced Deerfield Beach failure to diagnose attorney can speak with you today about your options. Contact Leifer & Ramirez for more information.