People pay quite a bit for medical care. Most health insurance policies cost hundreds of dollars a month, and patients have to cover some of the costs of their treatment despite having insurance. They may have to pay thousands toward a deductible and even more if their policy imposes coinsurance requirements.
Sadly, despite the premium costs associated with modern medical treatment, people do not always get what they pay for at hospitals and medical practices. Sometimes, doctors ignore a patient’s symptoms or diagnose them with the wrong medical condition. In cases where a patient actually has cancer, a delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis can be incredibly expensive.
What makes diagnostic failures related to cancer particularly costly?
Increased treatment costs
When someone first develops cancer, it may be localized to one particular part of the body. Doctors may be able to surgically excise a tumor before it spreads and starts causing more serious symptoms. The overall cost for their treatment can be far lower when a doctor diagnoses them early in their illness.
As the condition progresses, the treatment they may have to go undergo may become more aggressive. They may require chemotherapy and other invasive forms of treatment. Even if they have good health insurance, the amount they have to pay for their care may increase significantly as the treatment becomes more aggressive. If someone is already in the terminal stages of cancer development, their end-of-life care could be particularly expensive.
Lost wages
If a patient only needs to have a single outpatient surgical procedure to treat their cancer, they might miss only a few days of work. If they have to undergo debilitating chemotherapy treatment, they could miss months of work or be at risk of losing their job.
The longer a patient goes without an accurate diagnosis, the greater the likelihood that they require an extended leave of absence from work and may experience significant career setbacks in addition to lost wages. In cases where a physician does not successfully diagnose cancer before a patient dies, the costs for the surviving family members can be far higher than they are in scenarios where a patient eventually receives the treatment they require.
A medical malpractice lawsuit related to a misdiagnosis of cancer can potentially help families recover medical expenses and lost income. Reviewing medical records with a skilled legal team can be a useful starting point for those who believe that they or a loved one may have experienced medical malpractice related to the diagnosis of cancer.