Medical malpractice affects many New York residents every year, and a common type is a misdiagnosis. A failure to diagnose a disease can lead to harm for the patient if treatment is delayed after a medical provider failed to correctly identify the patient’s condition. Another type of misdiagnosis occurs when a doctor tells patients that they have a condition that in fact they do not have, which can result in unnecessary invasive procedures.

Ticks are common in New York, which means that so is Lyme disease. While the tick-borne illness can be readily addressed with antibiotics, it has been known to linger on in the form of symptoms like joint pain, brain fog, fatigue and headaches. This condition is known as post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, and it can last between several months and a couple years.

Gynecological cancers underline the importance of early diagnosis for women in New York and across the United States. These types of cancers, which affect the female reproductive system, can have a severe and deadly impact on women’s health. However, many are quite treatable if they are diagnosed and treated early in their development. Delayed diagnosis, on the other hand, can have severe consequences for a woman with gynecological cancer.

New York legislators have agreed on a compromise to extend the deadline for filing certain medical malpractice claims. The law, which passed the state senate and assembly on Jan. 30, changes the statute of limitations for missed cancer diagnosis cases from 15 months to 30 months after the patient discovers the error. The passage comes two days after Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders announced an agreement on the measure.