Philadelphia Radiology Error Lawyer
Radiology is used to detect cancer, identify fractures, search for tumors, locate blockages in the heart and veins, and much more. As such, other healthcare providers rely on radiologists to either confirm a suspected diagnosis, rule out certain injuries or illnesses, prepare for surgery, manage a patient’s condition, and ensure that the appropriate treatment is provided for the patient’s health condition. The type of surgery, medication, and physical therapy depends on accurate diagnosis, which can only happen with accurate imaging. When a radiologist makes an error, a patient’s entire health plan crumbles, as they may no longer be receiving the appropriate treatment. If this occurs, it does not matter how prudent other healthcare providers such as doctors, surgeons, and nurses are. If you or a loved one suffered damages as a result of a radiologist’s error, The Villari Firm, PLLC and our Philadelphia radiology error lawyers are here to provide legal assistance.
Duties of a Radiologist
Radiologists are physicians who use imaging technology to make or confirm a diagnosis. They use X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, PET scans, scopes, and other imaging tools to look inside the body for cancer, fractures, nerve damage, organ injuries, and other physical injuries to the body that cannot be detected with the naked eye, blood work, or other testing. Because radiologists are often employed to detect or monitor serious illnesses like cancer, blood clots, serious fractures, and fibroids, any error they make has the potential to seriously impact the patient’s well-being.
Examples of How Radiologist Negligence Occurs
Radiology errors that cause harm to a patient are almost always the result of delayed or incorrect treatment. Delayed treatment or lack of treatment altogether is caused by failure to diagnose, misdiagnosis, or delayed diagnosis. In the case of a radiologist’s error, the direct harm is not caused by cutting a nerve during surgery or giving a patient too much morphine—types of negligence that can occur during surgery. Instead, the harm is caused by misdirecting clinicians and their healthcare teams into providing the incorrect type of treatment. Examples of radiology errors include:
- Misinterpreting a clinical result
- Failure to identify an abnormality or concern in the image result
- Mixing up a patient’s results with another patient
- Failure to communicate with radiology technicians
- Failure to communicate with clinicians or patients
- Mismanagement and negligent maintenance of imaging equipment
However, harm can also occur during imaging. For example, if medical equipment is not properly held down during an MRI test, it can become a hazard to the patient. In other rare cases, the equipment itself might be defective. The manufacturer and/or the radiologist might be liable if this was the case.
Contact a Philadelphia Radiology Error Lawyer Today
If you or a loved one depended on the expertise and attention to detail that should be expected of all radiologists, and suffered damages as a result due to an incorrect diagnosis or delayed diagnosis, you are within your rights to seek fair compensation for your damages. Call The Villari Firm and our Philadelphia radiology error lawyers today at 215-372-8889 for a free consultation.
