INJURY | PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER | PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY | INJURIES

Getting the correct treatment right away is important. It could mean the difference between life and death. When doctors fail to properly diagnose, treat or prevent illness and injury, patients are the ones who suffer. Medical expenses increase, as does pain and injury.

Treatment delays happen for a number of reasons. People caring for their elders sometimes have a hard time convincing them to go to the hospital. However, when there is a concern, seeking proper medical attention immediately is very important. Catching and treating cancer at its earliest stages, for example, provides the best possible chance of full recovery. Injuries and illnesses rarely heal themselves, so any treatment delay is only prolonging the pain and suffering or making it worse.

Treatment also might be delayed because of a full hospital waiting room or an appointment cancellation. If you consider your illness or injury to be serious and you are in need of immediate attention, consider going straight to the emergency room or calling 911. Or you could immediately seek an appointment with a specialist (unless the specialist only works on a referral basis), rather than going to a general practitioner and later being referred to a specialist.

Treatment could be delayed because of misdiagnosis, hospital negligence or lab negligence such as faulty testing, misplaced lab results, failure to refer to a specialist, and use of faulty equipment or methods. This is where it starts to get even more expensive; paying for extra lab tests and seeking new opinions is time-consuming and costly.

If you have experienced treatment delays due to no fault of your own, you may be eligible for compensation for your medical expenses, further injury, future expenses, and pain and suffering. Contact a personal injury attorney as soon as possible.