What to do if I was Misdiagnosed by a Medical Physician?

Let’s pretend you have a sore throat and a dry cough follows the next morning.  Most people in New Mexico would call their primary doctor after over the counter medications have been unsuccessful.  The doctor confirms you have a virus which is what you already thought.  Naturally the doctor prescribes a prescription-strength cough suppressant.  The problem is, your cough wasn’t caused by a cold, but actually by lung cancer.

This is a scenario that happens often to malpractice injury victims around New Mexico.   According to a study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), 12 million adults annually (one in 20) in the U.S.A. are misdiagnosed each year.  In some situations, a misdiagnosis has no ill effects; however, in many situations, it could be deadly.

If someone is misdiagnosed as having a virus when they really have lung cancer may be considered for litigation in a medical malpractice case.  This is due to the delay in diagnosis allowing the cancer to spread, become inoperable and/or untreatable.  If left too long, it could spread to organs and be fatal.  Had a doctor been able to correctly diagnose the cancer from the beginning, a patient may have had a much higher likelihood of curing the cancer entirely.  Not only are a large number of people being misdiagnosed, but many of them are at real risk for serious injury or death.  If you or a family member has been involved in such a medical malpractice, contact a New Mexico medical malpractice attorney right away.  Waiting in such medical malpractice cases may lead to irreversible serious injury or death.