Medical misdiagnosis can occur when serious conditions present with symptoms that mimic those of several illnesses. A patient may visit a Maryland emergency room, urgent care center, hospital, or medical office with pain, weakness, fever, breathing problems, confusion, or ongoing symptoms, only to be told the problem is less serious than it is. When the correct diagnosis is delayed, the patient’s condition can worsen before proper treatment begins. A Maryland medical misdiagnosis lawyer can help determine whether the delay caused avoidable harm.
Regan Zambri Long’s team brings almost 200 years of combined experience to serious medical malpractice claims. We investigate complex diagnosis errors, review medical records, work with qualified experts, and build cases around what should have happened sooner. Our Maryland medical malpractice attorneys have achieved multiple seven- and eight-figure recoveries across Maryland, DC, and Virginia, and seven are listed among the Best Lawyers in the District of Columbia for Medical Malpractice Law.
If you believe a medical provider in Maryland misdiagnosed you, contact Regan Zambri Long today, and one of our attorneys will personally reach out for a free consultation. We’re available 24/7, and we front all case costs, so you won’t pay unless we win your case.
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Medical misdiagnosis is a major patient safety problem in the United States. A recent study on serious harms from diagnostic error estimated 2.59 million diagnostic errors each year among patients with dangerous diseases. Researchers also estimated that 795,000 Americans become permanently disabled or die each year across care settings because dangerous diseases are misdiagnosed.
The study’s authors noted that total diagnostic errors in the United States likely reach the tens of millions each year, depending on how diagnostic error is defined. Serious harm is easier to measure because death and permanent disability are clearer outcomes. The same study found that 15 serious conditions account for 50.7% of total serious harms from diagnostic error.
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Researchers estimated that a patient with a life-or-limb-threatening disease has about an 11% chance of being missed. Because these conditions carry serious risk when diagnosis is delayed, the patient also has about a 4% chance of dying or becoming permanently disabled because of misdiagnosis
The study on serious harms from diagnostic error found that the five leading dangerous diseases accounted for 38.7% of total cases. Each condition can create different risks for patients, from missed emergency treatment to delayed follow-up after abnormal symptoms or test results.
Stroke is one of the clearest examples of why diagnosis timing can be critical. The American Heart Association says almost 800,000 people in the United States have a stroke each year. Symptoms can include weakness, numbness, confusion, dizziness, vision changes, severe headache, or trouble speaking. Some symptoms may be mistaken for migraine, vertigo, intoxication, fatigue, or another less urgent problem.
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A missed stroke diagnosis can mean the patient loses access to time-sensitive care. The longer the brain goes without proper treatment, the greater the risk of permanent neurological injury, disability, or death.
Sepsis can develop when the body has a dangerous response to infection. According to the CDC, at least 1.7 million adults in the United States develop sepsis each year, and at least 350,000 adults who develop sepsis die during their hospitalization or are discharged to hospice. Early symptoms can include fever, confusion, severe pain, rapid breathing, low blood pressure, clammy skin, or a fast heart rate.
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Sepsis is dangerous because it can escalate quickly. When a serious infection is treated as something minor, the patient may lose valuable time before antibiotics, monitoring, fluids, or hospital care begin.
Pneumonia is diagnosed in approximately 1.5 million adults in the United States each year, leading to around 1 million hospitalizations and 50,000 deaths. The condition can be missed when cough, chest discomfort, fever, fatigue, low oxygen levels, or shortness of breath are treated as a minor respiratory illness.
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A pneumonia diagnosis can be especially difficult in older adults or patients with existing health conditions because symptoms may be less obvious. A missed diagnosis can allow breathing problems, infection, and physical decline to worsen before the patient receives proper care.
Venous thromboembolism, or VTE, includes deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. The CDC states that VTE affects up to 900,000 Americans each year, and as many as 100,000 people die of blood clots annually. Warning signs may include leg swelling, calf pain, chest pain, shortness of breath, fainting, or an unexplained rapid heartbeat.
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VTE can be missed because symptoms may look like muscle strain, anxiety, asthma, or a less serious breathing problem. A pulmonary embolism can become life-threatening quickly, especially when the patient has clotting risk factors that are overlooked.
Lung cancer misdiagnosis usually involves a delay rather than a sudden emergency. The American Cancer Society states that lung cancer is by far the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, accounting for about 1 in 5 cancer deaths. Symptoms such as a persistent cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, unexplained weight loss, recurring respiratory infections, or abnormal imaging may call for deeper review.
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When lung cancer is missed, the patient may continue receiving treatment for repeated respiratory problems while the disease progresses. A delay can affect staging, treatment choices, prognosis, and the chance of long-term survival.
Medical misdiagnosis usually starts with a breakdown in the diagnostic process. A provider may anchor too heavily on an early explanation and keep treating the patient as though the first diagnosis is correct, even when symptoms continue or new information comes in. A patient with chest pain may be treated for indigestion. A patient with shortness of breath may be treated for anxiety. A patient with dizziness may be treated for dehydration or vertigo.
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Testing decisions can also drive diagnostic error. A provider may decide against imaging, lab work, cultures, cardiac testing, clot testing, or other investigations that would have helped narrow the diagnosis. Problems can also arise when test results come back abnormal but are missed, misread, filed without follow-up, or never clearly explained to the patient.
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Communication gaps can add another layer of risk. A primary care doctor, emergency room, radiologist, specialist, urgent care provider, or hospital team may each hold part of the clinical picture. When symptoms, test results, medication changes, or follow-up instructions are scattered across different providers, a serious diagnosis can fall through the cracks.
A Maryland misdiagnosis claim usually depends on building a clear medical timeline. Your medical malpractice lawyer needs to understand:Â
The second diagnosis alone does not prove malpractice. The records must show what information was available earlier and how the delay changed the outcome.
Important evidence may include:
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Family members may also help explain changes in the patient’s condition, concerns raised with medical staff, and symptoms the patient could no longer describe clearly.
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A qualified medical expert can evaluate whether the care met accepted medical standards and whether earlier diagnosis would likely have changed the patient’s treatment or prognosis.
A medical misdiagnosis can leave patients and families facing consequences that reach far beyond the first missed appointment or delayed test result. A patient may need emergency hospitalization, surgery, long rehabilitation, or ongoing care that could have been avoided with an earlier diagnosis. Families may also face medical bills, lost income, caregiving pressure, and unanswered questions about how the condition was missed.Â
Serious misdiagnosis claims call for attorneys with proven medical malpractice experience and a record of handling high-stakes diagnosis cases. Regan Zambri Long has been named one of the Best Law Firms in America, and six of our attorneys are currently named as Washington, DCÂ Super Lawyers.
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Founding Partner Patrick Regan has twice been recognized as Best Lawyers’ Washington, DC Lawyer of the Year for Medical Malpractice Law, and all six partners are currently listed among Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers in the United States.
Over the last three decades, our team has secured over $1 billion in settlements and verdicts for personal injury clients across Maryland, DC, and Virginia, including medical diagnosis-related awards such as:
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If you believe a Maryland medical provider missed or delayed your diagnosis, contact Regan Zambri Long today. Our medical misdiagnosis lawyers will review what happened and explain whether you may have a claim.
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