Yes. When a radiologist misreads your MRI, a lab reports the wrong blood result, or a doctor never tells you about an abnormal finding, you may have a medical malpractice claim in Washington, D.C. The real question is whether the provider fell below the accepted standard of care and whether that mistake actually harmed you. A misread test that is caught in time and causes no injury usually is not a case. A trusted Washington, D.C. misread test results attorney at Simeone & Miller, LLP can review your records and tell you where you stand.
What You Have to Prove in a Misread-Test Claim
A misread test becomes malpractice only when it meets the same four elements as any medical negligence case:
- First, a provider owed you a duty of care, which exists once a doctor-patient relationship is formed.
- Second, that provider breached the standard of care, meaning a reasonably careful professional in the same field would have read the test correctly or acted on the result.
- Third, the breach caused you harm, such as a delayed cancer diagnosis or unnecessary treatment.
- Fourth, you suffered real damages, including medical bills, lost income, or physical and emotional injury.
Proving the second and third elements is where these cases are won or lost. Showing that a competent radiologist would have spotted the tumor, and that the delay changed your outcome, almost always takes testimony from a qualified medical expert. That is why an honest case review starts with your records and the right specialist, not guesswork.
Where Test Interpretation Goes Wrong
Diagnostic mistakes happen at several points between the lab and your chart. Common examples include:
- A radiologist misreads an MRI, CT scan, or X-ray and misses a tumor, fracture, or internal bleed.
- A pathologist misinterprets a biopsy, producing a false-positive or false-negative cancer result.
- A laboratory mixes up samples or reports the wrong values, leading to the wrong medication or diagnosis.
- A provider receives an abnormal result but fails to flag it, follow up, or tell the patient.
That last category matters. When a misread test leads to a missed or delayed diagnosis, the harm often comes not from the test itself but from the silence that follows it. A result that sits unread in a patient portal can let a treatable condition grow for months.
Steps to Take If You Suspect a Misread Test
If you think a test was misread, a few early steps protect both your health and any future claim.
- Get prompt medical care and a second opinion. Have another qualified provider review the same images or samples and confirm the correct reading.
- Request your complete medical records, including the raw imaging, lab reports, and the radiologist or pathologist notes, not just the summary.
- Preserve every communication, not only the records. Save patient-portal messages, after-visit summaries, voicemails, emails, and your own notes about what you were told and when. These often show whether anyone followed up on the result.
- Ask a lawyer to have a medical expert review your results. You usually do not find the expert yourself. Your attorney retains a board-certified specialist in the right field, such as a radiologist, to re-read your scan and confirm whether the standard of care was breached
- Talk to an attorney quickly. The filing deadline can be shorter than you expect, and waiting can cost you the claim.
In practice, the deadline is the step people most often miss. The sooner the records are gathered and reviewed, the stronger and more timely your case will be.
How Long Do You Have to Sue in Washington, D.C.?
In Washington, D.C., you generally have three years to file a medical malpractice claim. The clock usually starts on the date of the negligence, but misread tests are often discovered much later. Under D.C.’s discovery rule, the deadline may not begin until you knew, or with reasonable diligence should have known, of the injury, its cause, and some evidence that a provider did something wrong. Whether that later start applies is highly fact-specific, so do not assume you still have time without asking a lawyer.
D.C. adds one more step that surprises many people. Before you file, you must notify the provider at least 90 days before you sue. If that notice is served within 90 days of the deadline, the filing window is extended 90 days from the date of service. Because these rules interact, the safest move is to have your deadline confirmed early rather than calculated at the last minute.
Frequently Asked Questions About Suing for Misinterpretation of Medical Test Results
Can you sue for inaccurate medical records?
An error in your records is usually not a lawsuit by itself. It becomes grounds for a claim when the inaccuracy reflects or causes substandard care that harms you, such as a wrong result that leads to the wrong treatment. Records that appear altered after the fact can also become important evidence.
Can a doctor be sued for not informing you of abnormal test results?
Yes. Failing to communicate or act on an abnormal result can breach the standard of care. If that silence delayed your diagnosis or treatment and caused harm, it can support a medical malpractice claim.
What is the statute of limitations for medical test malpractice in Washington, D.C.?
Most claims must be filed within three years. The discovery rule can change when that clock starts if the error was hidden, and D.C. requires 90 days of advance notice to the provider before filing. A lawyer can confirm your exact deadline.
Can you sue a hospital for a wrong diagnosis?
Often, yes. A hospital can be held responsible when its employees, such as staff radiologists, lab technicians, or nurses, are negligent, and sometimes for its own failures in how results are handled. Whether the hospital is liable depends on the provider’s relationship to the hospital.
Talk With a Washington, D.C. Medical Malpractice Attorney
You should not have to absorb the cost of someone else’s mistake. If a misread MRI, a wrong lab result, or an abnormal finding no one told you about led to a worse outcome, Simeone & Miller can review your records, find the right medical expert, and protect your deadline. You pay nothing unless we win. Contact us today for a free consultation.
