About 20% Of Serious Medical Conditions Misdiagnosed

When you visit your Montana doctor and that physician diagnoses you with a serious medical condition, it may serve you well to seek a second opinion before panicking. At Edmiston & Colton Law Firm, we have seen firsthand the hardships and complications that can arise when patients receive inaccurate or incomplete medical diagnoses, and we have helped many people whose conditions worsened due to medical misdiagnosis pursue legal solutions that meet their needs.

According to AARP, about one in every five patients who meet with their primary care physicians find out that they received inaccurate medical diagnoses during their initial visits with their primary care doctors. In one study conducted by the Mayo Clinic, more than 20% of Americans who sought diagnoses from their primary care doctors received diagnoses that were wholly inaccurate, while another 66% received diagnoses that were at least partially incorrect.

Only about 12% of all patients who received serious medical diagnoses from their family doctors got the right diagnosis the first time, highlighting a troubling trend that can have a substantial impact on the health of American patients. Because inaccurate or incomplete medical diagnoses can have a direct impact on the quality and level of care a patient receives, seeking a second opinion when you get a serious medical diagnosis is almost always a smart idea.

Studies indicate that diagnostic errors play a role in roughly 10% of all patient deaths in the United States, and that they also cause up to 17% of adverse events in American hospitals. You can learn more about medical negligence by visiting our webpage.