Anyone who seeks professional medical care in Connecticut should be able to expect an accurate and complete diagnosis of any harmful health condition they are experiencing. While most healthcare providers can be trusted to interpret test results and physical symptoms correctly, there are far too many examples of patients who suffer serious and avoidable harm because their physician failed to provide appropriate treatment for their condition.
If an incorrect diagnosis led to your physical condition getting worse, you could have grounds to file a lawsuit or settlement demand with the help of a skilled malpractice attorney at Berkowitz Hanna. Discussing your situation with a New Haven failure to diagnose lawyer can provide answers to any questions you have about your rights and guidance about what next steps you should think about taking.
Negligent failures to diagnose medical conditions can stem from various circumstances, not all of which involve a doctor actively mistreating a patient. For example, if a physician fails to diagnose a patient’s condition because another medical professional did not report the results of a medical test properly, direct fault for any ensuing harm sustained by that patient might lie more with the latter party than the former.
Other common sources of misdiagnoses in Connecticut include failure by a physician to correctly interpret test results, failure to communicate diagnoses effectively with other healthcare providers like pharmacists, and failure to respond promptly to patient complaints or take them seriously. This last medical error is unfortunately especially widespread in clinics and facilities across the state, particularly with female patients and patients in certain racial and ethnic groups. A New Haven failure to diagnose attorney can examine a particular set of circumstances and help determine whether a physician’s actions—or inaction—could justify a lawsuit.
In the interest of avoiding unnecessary lawsuits, prospective malpractice plaintiffs in New Haven must go through a “reasonable inquiry” process before they are allowed to file suit. As per Connecticut General Statutes §52-190a, anyone injured by suspected malpractice must submit a certificate to the court alongside their initial complaint affirming that they or their lawyer have made reasonable efforts to confirm that actionable malpractice occurred and that they can pursue legal action against all named defendants.
Furthermore, this certificate must be accompanied by a written and signed statement from a qualified medical expert who agrees that the plaintiff has valid grounds to file suit. A “qualified” expert in this context is generally someone who works or recently has worked in the same field of medicine as the prospective defendant(s) and has a similar degree of experience and knowledge. Support from a failure to diagnose lawyer in New Haven can be vital to getting through this stage of a lawsuit as efficiently as possible.
Misdiagnosed health problems cause substantial physical harm to thousands of Connecticut residents, many of whom could have avoided that harm completely but for one medical professional’s negligence. If your condition worsened recently under circumstances like this, taking advantage of your legal right to civil recovery might be crucial to protecting your long-term interests.
A New Haven failure to diagnose can be a dependable ally from beginning to end of whatever legal action you pursue. Set up a free consultation with a dedicated member of the Berkowitz Hanna legal team to get started.
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