Can A Radiologist Commit Medical Malpractice?

Helping Clients Injured by Radiologists who Commit Medical Malpractice in Washington DC, Virginia, and Maryland.

The most important person in your care might be a person you've never met. Radiologists are doctors who are specialists in interpreting the pictures that result when your doctor sends you for a CT scan, MRI, or x-ray. Their input is necessary for guiding other medical professionals in diagnosing disease or a cause of pain. Some doctors will independently read the results of your CT, MRI, or x-ray. Others depend on what the radiologist writes in a report because of their expertise. As a result, radiologists play a critical role in medical treatment. Radiology mistakes can be devastating to patients. 

Kitchel Law, PLLC is experienced in fighting for clients who have been injured by radiology errors and draws on the knowledge of expert radiologists all over the country to get justice for those who are misdiagnosed or improperly treated. If you have been injured, let Kitchel Law help - we will obtain official copies of your medical records and the actual images that radiologists relied on when the mistake was made in your care and use that information to get answers. 

Malpractice and Errors by Radiologists. 

In the last decade, radiologists have become increasingly involved in medical management, and therefore are exposed to higher risks of legal claims being made. The most common cause of malpractice claims against radiologists is perception errors or diagnosis errors, where a radiologist fails to see what is there to be seen in the image, including fractures, cancers, and other masses. The most common locations for “misses” are in bones and breast tissue. Another critical cause of malpractice is the failure to communicate – patients are best served when radiologists and bedside physicians collaborate and clearly communicate patient care and work together to identify and treat disease. When radiologists fail to communicate their observations accurately and completely, patients suffer. It is estimated that 3-5% of radiology studies are interpreted incorrectly. 

Knowledge Errors

Radiologists are liable for damages when they do not have the necessary knowledge to interpret a medical image correctly. The issue to be determined in court is whether an ordinary radiologist would make the same mistake – radiologists are not required to make miracle diagnoses, but they must be able to perform at the level of other ordinary and prudent radiologists.

Yes, radiologists are liable for damages

Radiology is an integral part of medical diagnosis. If a misdiagnosis arises from any physician's failure to meet medical standards, they will be liable for the patient's injuries. You can recover with the help of a good medical malpractice attorney. If you have suffered from medical malpractice or a missed diagnosis because of a radiology error, call Allyson at Kitchel Law. Allyson has nearly two decades of injury litigation experience and has handled many radiology error cases, including one involving a failure to detect a pancreatic cyst, and numerous cases involving failure to diagnose spinal cord injuries. Visit www.kitchellaw.com or contact Allyson via text or phone at 202-949-7109.