Misdiagnosis & Medical Malpractice Failure to Diagnose in Rhode Island
When an illness is misdiagnosed or not diagnosed in a timely manner, it may be considered medical malpractice, which is a significant issue in Rhode Island and across the United States.
These errors can lead to serious consequences, including delayed treatment, improper treatment, and even death. Over 250,000 Americans die each year from preventable medical mistakes.
Patients have the right to expect that medical professionals will provide them with an accurate diagnosis, but unfortunately, this is not always the case.
There are three main types of failure to diagnose medical malpractice:
- Delayed diagnosis: Failing to identify the cause of a patient’s symptoms in a timely manner
- Failure to diagnose: Not taking reasonable steps needed to provide a patient with a diagnosis
- Misdiagnosis: Incorrectly diagnosing a patient’s health condition
If a physician fails to diagnose a patient, their lawyer must be able to prove that, under similar circumstances, another doctor would have accurately identified the illness.
At Sokolove Law, our Rhode Island failure to diagnose lawyers have decades of experience proving medical malpractice or negligence.
If you believe your health was negatively impacted by a doctor’s diagnostic error, we may be able to help you hold the negligent health care provider accountable and pursue compensation for the harm they caused.
Call (800) 995-1212 now to find out if you may be eligible to take action.
7 Commonly Missed or Misdiagnosed Conditions in Rhode Island
Many conditions can be addressed with medication and other treatments if caught early and diagnosed correctly. However, as these conditions progress, treatment options may become limited.
Some illnesses are more commonly misdiagnosed than others, which may lead to a delay in necessary care.
1. Aneurysms
An aneurysm is a bulge that forms in the weakest part of a blood vessel. When a doctor fails to diagnose an aneurysm, the blood vessel can burst, causing blood clots, internal bleeding, or stroke.
Reasons doctors may misdiagnose an aneurysm include:
- Failing to order the appropriate diagnostic tests
- Misinterpreting symptoms
- Not properly reviewing a patient’s medical or family history
These errors can result in delayed treatment or no treatment at all, putting the patient's life at risk — especially if the aneurysm forms in the brain or chest.
2. Blood Clots
Misdiagnosing a blood clot can result in life-threatening complications, including pulmonary embolism, stroke, or even death.
With blood clots, doctors can make mistakes by:
- Failing to order the appropriate tests
- Misinterpreting symptoms
- Neglecting to consider underlying an medical conditions
- Not recognizing risk factors like a family history of blood clots
In some cases, doctors may even dismiss a patient's concerns or symptoms altogether, leading to a delayed or missed diagnosis.
3. Cancer
Failure to diagnose cancer often occurs because symptoms of the disease mimic those of other illnesses. This can lead doctors to believe that the patient is suffering from a completely different condition.
Additional reasons why cancer may be misdiagnosed include:
- Failing to properly follow up with a patient’s concerns
- Misinterpreting biopsies or other test results
- Misreading imaging scans
- Not mentioning or scheduling preventative screenings
Breast cancer is a commonly misdiagnosed condition that can be successfully treated if caught in its early stages. However, a failure to diagnose, delay in diagnosis, or misdiagnosis may allow the cancer to progress to later stages.
Unfortunately, if cancer is not diagnosed early, it may progress and spread throughout the body, which can limit treatment options or make them less effective.
4. Heart Attacks
Heart attacks occur when there’s a block in one or more arteries that limits the flow of blood to the heart and deprives the body of oxygen. When somebody is having a heart attack, it’s important to restore blood flow as quickly as possible.
Heart attack symptoms may include:
- Cold sweat
- Fatigue
- Lightheadedness or sudden dizziness
- Nausea, indigestion, heartburn, or abdominal pain
- Pain and discomfort that originates in one area and spreads to a different area
Unfortunately, physicians often write off the symptoms of a heart attack as heartburn or indigestion.
Ordering the appropriate diagnostic tests and taking preventative measures — like providing medication that dissolves blood clots — may help to avoid a tragic situation spurred by medical negligence.
5. Infections
Health care professionals may misdiagnose an infection if they fail to consider less common infections or rely too heavily on assumptions instead of thorough testing.
For some infections, symptoms are somewhat unclear and may not show up on standard diagnostic tests. In these instances, physicians may dismiss their patient’s concerns prematurely.
If left undiagnosed, an infection can turn into sepsis and septic shock, which can cause organ failure and even death if not treated promptly.
6. Pulmonary Embolisms
A pulmonary embolism is a blood clot that breaks from the wall of a vein and travels into the lungs. This disrupts blood flow to the lungs and makes it difficult for the rest of your body to receive oxygen.
Pulmonary embolisms may be mistaken for other lung conditions, like asthma or pneumonia. Unfortunately, a physician’s failure to quickly diagnose a pulmonary embolism can be fatal.
Approximately 33% of undiagnosed or untreated patients die from a pulmonary embolism.
7. Strokes
The symptoms of a stroke can be vague and easily mistaken for other conditions. With strokes, a fast and correct diagnosis that allows for timely treatment is essential to preventing life-long injury or death.
Symptoms of a stroke may include:
- Confusion
- Difficulty walking
- Drooping on one side of the face
- Severe headache
- Sudden numbness or weakness on one side of the body
- Trouble speaking clearly
Some doctors incorrectly assume that if a patient is not elderly, they cannot have a stroke. Doctors may also fail to recognize stroke risk factors, like high blood pressure or a history of smoking.
How to File a Failure to Diagnose Lawsuit in Rhode Island
If you have a case, our Rhode Island failure to diagnose lawyers will handle every step of the legal process for you, so you can focus on your health and well-being.
Filing a misdiagnosis lawsuit in Rhode Island can help families cover the cost of medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, and more.
1. Contact Sokolove Law
At Sokolove Law, we provide free case reviews to see if you may be eligible to file a Rhode Island failure to diagnose claim.
During this time, we’ll ask you a few questions about your experience, so we can better understand the specifics of your situation.
2. We’ll Gather Evidence of Malpractice
If you have a case, we’ll collect medical records, testimonies from experts, test results, and anything else needed to show that your health care provider should have provided you with an accurate diagnosis sooner than they did.
We also have a team of registered nurses on staff that can help make sense of what happened and determine if medical malpractice may have taken place.
3. We'll File Your Rhode Island Failure to Diagnose Claim
Your Rhode Island misdiagnosis lawsuit must be filed within the statute of limitations, which are a set of laws that limit how long you have to file a claim.
Once these deadlines pass, you won’t be able to file a claim for your suffering ever again.
Contact Sokolove Law as soon as possible in order to ensure that your claim is filed on time.
4. We'll Negotiate Failure to Diagnose Settlements
Our attorneys will negotiate a Rhode Island misdiagnosis settlement with the defendant(s), which may include the hospital or medical professionals responsible for your diagnostic errors.
Approximately 93% of all malpractice cases end in a settlement, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). This means you may be able to get compensation without ever setting foot in court.
If a settlement is unable to be reached, our failure to diagnose attorneys in RI are prepared to present your case at trial and fight for a verdict on your behalf.
Our Past Rhode Island Failure to Diagnose Settlements
At Sokolove Law, we’ve recovered over $9.3 Billion for clients who have suffered through no fault of their own, including patients in Rhode Island.
Some of our past Rhode Island failure to diagnose settlements and verdicts include:
- $3.5 Million for a Cumberland patient who received the wrong diagnosis
- $3.1 Million for a woman in Woonsocket with a misdiagnosis
- $1 Million for a North Smithfield man whose carcinoid tumors weren’t diagnosed before spreading
Receiving compensation from a delayed diagnosis lawsuit in Rhode Island can help to lessen the burden of ongoing medical treatments and other costs related to your misdiagnosis.
While a Rhode Island misdiagnosis settlement amount depends on various factors — like the impact of the doctor’s error on your health — our attorneys will fight for the most compensation possible in your case.
Get the Help You Deserve
Let our Rhode Island failure to diagnose attorneys put their decades of experience to work for you. Contact us now to get started.
Get a Free Case Review
Let Our Rhode Island Misdiagnosis Lawyers Fight for You
At Sokolove Law, our Rhode Island misdiagnosis lawyers are dedicated to holding those responsible for your prolonged suffering accountable.
We strive to make the legal process as stress-free as possible for you and your family, and our Rhode Island wrong diagnosis lawyers don’t charge any upfront costs or hourly fees.
We’ve already secured over $9.3 Billion for our clients across the country.
Let us fight for the compensation you deserve. Call (800) 995-1212 now or fill out our contact form to find out if our Rhode Island failure to diagnose attorneys may be able to help you.
Our Rhode Island Office Location
Failure to Diagnose Lawyer in Rhode Island FAQs
Do you need a lawyer to sue for failure to diagnose in Rhode Island?
It is highly recommended to hire a lawyer for a failure to diagnose case, as medical malpractice lawsuits can be incredibly complex.
By working with an experienced attorney, you may improve your chances of getting compensation and holding the health care professionals responsible for your suffering accountable.
If you believe your doctor failed to properly diagnose your condition, fill out our contact form for a free, no-obligation case review.
Is delayed diagnosis medical malpractice?
It depends. A delayed diagnosis may be considered medical malpractice if your legal team can show that:
- Another health care provider would’ve diagnosed your illness sooner
- The delay in diagnosis caused you harm in some way
Our attorneys have decades of experience successfully handling misdiagnosis malpractice cases and know what to look for to establish wrongdoing.
Call (800) 995-1212 now to find out if your delayed diagnosis may be malpractice — for free.
How much do failure to diagnose lawyers cost in Rhode Island?
At Sokolove Law, there are no upfront costs or hourly fees to work with our failure to diagnose attorneys in Rhode Island.
We work on a contingency-fee-basis, which means we only get paid if your case results in compensation.
How do you prove a Rhode Island failure to diagnose case?
Proving a failure to diagnose or misdiagnosis case can be challenging, but our team has the resources necessary to gather evidence that establishes a health care provider's negligence.
Our Rhode Island misdiagnosis lawyers will work to prove that there was:
- A doctor-patient relationship
- Negligence, and the doctor failed to provide appropriate and/or adequate treatment
- An injury because of the doctor’s negligence
Get a free case review now to find out if you may be eligible to file a misdiagnosis lawsuit in Rhode Island.
Sokolove Law Affiliations and Recognition
Our Professional Affiliations
- American Association of Justice
- Rhode Island State Bar Association
Recognition
- National Trial Lawyers - Top 100 Trial Lawyers
- U.S. News & World Report - 2022 Best Law Firms / Best Lawyers
- Martindale-Hubbell - 2022 Peer-Reviewed for Ethical Standards and Legal Ability
Sokolove Law Local Reviews
- Better Business Bureau® (BBB): A+ Rating since 2013
- Average Google Rating: 4.6/5
Local Rhode Island Areas We Serve
While Sokolove Law helps people throughout the country, we provide our services to people across the entire state of Rhode Island as well.
Sokolove Law serves locations across Rhode Island, including:
- Barrington
- Bristol
- Burrillville
- Central Falls
- Charlestown
- Coventry
- Cranston
- Cumberland
- East Greenwich
- East Providence
- Exeter
- Foster
- Glocester
- Hopkinton
- Jamestown
- Johnston
- Lincoln
- Little Compton
- Middletown
- Narragansett
- New Shoreham
- Newport
- North Kingstown
- North Providence
- North Smithfield
- Pawtucket
- Portsmouth
- Providence
- Richmond
- Scituate
- Smithfield
- South Kingstown
- Tiverton
- Warren
- Warwick
- West Greenwich
- West Warwick
- Westerly
- Woonsocket
- And more
Rhode Island Zip Codes We Serve
As a national law firm, Sokolove Law can help families wherever they may be in the U.S., including across the state of Rhode Island.
Some of the zip codes we serve in Rhode Island include:
- 02806
- 02809
- 02813
- 02814
- 02816
- 02817
- 02818
- 02822
- 02828
- 02830
- 02840
- 02842
- 02852
- 02857
- 02859
- 02860
- 02861
- 02863
- 02864
- 02865
- 02871
- 02874
- 02878
- 02879
- 02881
- 02882
- 02885
- 02886
- 02888
- 02889
- 02891
- 02893
- 02895
- 02896
- 02903
- 02904
- 02905
- 02906
- 02907
