Every year, there are an estimated 250,000 serious lost-time work injuries that result in over 30 days of missed work. A recent report by Best Doctors estimates that a quarter of these incidences result in injured worker misdiagnoses or incorrect treatment or inappropriate treatment.
Among the most expensive workers’ compensation claims, representing 5 percent of all claims, there is a 50 percent error rate in the diagnoses and treatment of the injuries with problems ranging from misreading symptoms to inappropriate surgeries and harmful drug interactions.
The prevalence of misdiagnoses and incorrect treatment not only drives up claim costs, but also seriously compromises the recovery of injured workers who may experience prolonged disability and financial hardship as a result.
Unfortunately, missed diagnoses can lead to incorrect procedures, worsening conditions, complications and sometimes cases of death or permanent disability.
Injured workers dealing with the workers’ compensation system may lack access to the right specialized medical expertise or specialized expertise at all, resulting in serious health consequences to the worker.
Contact an Experienced Iowa Injured Worker Misdiagnoses Lawyer
If you have been harmed because your injury was not properly diagnosed or treated, there are options available to you. Contact the Davenport Iowa workers’ compensation Law Offices of McDonald, Woodward & Carlson PC for help today.