Radiology Medical Malpractice in Oregon

Our Oregon Medical Malpractice Lawyers Explain Radiology Errors Leading to Medical Malpractice

 

Radiologists have an incredibly important job in medicine. While they are not patient facing, doctors and patients rely heavily on them to image properly and interpret images correctly. They are the experts at reading these images and therefore are responsible for picking up even the smallest of abnormalities on a scan. While most radiologists are quite proficient in their position, unfortunately there are some radiologists that may miss findings on a scan which can lead to serious harm of the patient or even wrongful death. Contact our Oregon radiology medical malpractice lawyers if you or your loved one has suffered harm due to a radiology error. 

 

Radiologists are responsible for reading many different scans. These scans include computerized tomography (CT), x-ray, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), and total body bone scan, amongst many other scans. These tests are used to diagnose a variety of conditions, including fractures, aneurysms, cancer, foreign objects, benign masses, and a variety of of other conditions.  Radiologists (and their departments) are responsible for properly perform the scan, interpreting the results, and relay those correctly to the patient’s physician. Failure to properly perform any one of these things can result in a patients life being in danger. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine/National Institute of Health, on average 40 million radiology errors occur on a yearly basis.

 

Common Causes of Radiology Medical Malpractice in Oregon

 

Unfortunately many errors can occur at the hands of a radiologist which can result in negligence. Many of these mistakes are due to being careless which could be avoided if the radiologist takes the time to properly interpret the results. That is why most radiology errors are preventable because most errors occur due to the image being improperly read, interpreted or recorded as the final impression for the patient’s record. 

 

The most common Oregon radiology medical malpractice errors include the following: 

 

• Interpreting results incorrectly
• Misdiagnosing a condition on imaging
• Failing to relay the results to the physician 
• Failing to relay critical results in a timely manner
• Miscommunication between the radiologist and other radiology staff performing the scans
• Failing to take the proper image (i.e wrong view is taken which can lead to missing what the physician set out to identify)
• Inexperience reading images

 

How Radiologists Can Cause Harm to Patients

 

Unfortunately, despite the fact that radiologists are not patient facing, they can still significantly harm patients. Some errors can even lead to permanent injury or death of a patient. Some of the most common ways radiologists can harm a patient include the following:

 

• Failure to diagnose cancer – This can lead to cancer spreading, possibly leading to death before it is identified or a more advanced stage of cancer. Cancer that may have been operable if identified on the original scan can no longer be operated on due to it’s advanced size and invasion in nearby organs/structures
• Strokes and other brain injuries – brain injuries and strokes need to be identified immediately in order to prevent permanent brain damage. Failure to identify these conditions can lead to permanent brain damage or even death. 
• Internal Bleeding – Patients are typically scanned after an accident to identify any internal bleeding. Failure to identify the injuries or internal bleeding can most certainly lead to death.

 

How Can Our Radiology Medical Malpractice Lawyers Help You?

 

Our Oregon radiology medical malpractice lawyers understand the seriousness of radiological errors due to medical malpractice and are more than prepared to help you and your loved ones receive the compensation you deserve. Generally speaking, radiology errors should never happen. If scans are performed properly, interpreted properly and results are relayed properly, mistakes should not occur. If you or your loved ones were a victim of a radiology medical malpractice error which lead to harm or death, you may be entitled to compensation. Compensation for these types of errors include compensation for medical bills, lost wages, lost future earnings, and pain and suffering amongst many other indications for damages. 

 

How much does a radiology medical malpractice lawyer cost in Oregon?

 

Under Oregon law, a radiology medical malpractice lawyer does not cost any money upfront.  This is because most lawyers, like ours here at Kuhlman Law, offer free consultations to review a case.  If we accept a case, we pay the upfront costs of litigation including expert fees, court costs, medical expenses, and other fees associated with your lawsuit. We also begin to work on your case right away and do not require any upfront money for legal fees.  Rather, we get a percentage of what we recover for you in a settlement or court award.  We also only get paid if we actually make a recovery for you, this means we do not collect anything if we do not win.

 

Get Started with Our Law Firm Today

 

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured or killed as a result of medical malpractice contact the Oregon Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Kuhlman Law at our number below or fill out the intake form.  We offer a free initial case evaluation and handle cases on a contingency fee which means that you pay no money unless we recover.

 

Our law firm handles cases throughout the state including Bend and Portland Oregon, Redmond, Central Oregon, Sisters, Madras, Multnomah County, Deschutes County, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Lane County, Medford, Gresham, La Grande, Albany, Medford, Beaverton, Umatilla, Pendleton,  Cottage Grove, Florence, Oregon City, Springfield, Keizer, Grants Pass, McMinnville, Tualatin, West Linn, Forest Grove, Wilsonville, Newberg, Roseburg, Lake Oswego, Klamath Falls, Happy Valley, Tigard, Ashland, Milwakie, Coos Bay, The Dalles,  St. Helens, Sherwood, Central Point, Canby, Troutdale, Hermiston, Silverton, Hood River, Newport, Prineville, Astoria, Tillamook, Lincoln City, Hillsboro, and Vancouver, Washington.

 

We also have an office in Minneapolis, Minnesota and take medical malpractice cases throughout the Twin Cities, including St. Paul, Hennepin County, Ramsey County, Dakota County, Washington County, Anoka County, Scott County, Blaine, Stillwater, and Saint Paul Minnesota.