Settlement for student who claimed misdiagnosis led to amputation

Being misdiagnosed is probably more common than many New York City residents even realize. In fact, according to the National Patient Safety Foundation, 42 percent of patients believe they have been either misdiagnosed or received a delayed diagnosis.

This is troublesome as there are a number of medical cases where a timely diagnosis is essential to a patient's full recover.

Take for example the recent $250,000 settlement that was reached between a former student and a university's health care center. Her claim was that the misdiagnosis of a flesh eating bacteria led to her arm, shoulder and shoulder blade needing to be amputated.

This claim was rather serious as one could make the argument that had the health center diagnosed her properly in the beginning, there is the chance she would still have her arm.

It should be noted that the health center did not admit to any wrong-doing by reaching this settlement. Most of this settlement will also end up being paid by the university's insurance.

In looking at the issue of misdiagnoses, there are certain medical conditions that need treatment right away. While in this case the claim had to do with flesh eating bacteria, there is also a number of medical malpractice lawsuits filed regarding missed diagnoses of different types of cancer.

Regardless of the medical condition, if there is reason to believe delayed treatment from a misdiagnosis led to unnecessary pain and suffering, there may be grounds to file a lawsuit. An attorney with experience handling medical malpractice cases in New York would be able to provide more information.

Source: Athens Ohio Today, "Medical malpractice lawsuit against OU settled," Steve Robb, Aug. 7, 2013