# How Poor Follow-Up Care Can Lead to Medical Malpractice Claims | Edelman, Krasin & Jaye **Table of Contents***[*Expand*]* 1. What’s Considered Inadequate Follow-Up Care? 2. Main Risks Of Poor Follow-Up Care 3. Filing A Claim For Inadequate Follow-Up Care 4. Speak To Our Attorneys Today ![Doctor smiling while talking with an elderly patient](https://ekjlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Picture2-1.jpg) # How Poor Follow-Up Care Can Lead to Medical Malpractice Claims Follow-up care can significantly influence a patient’s outcome and ensure they stay healthy much longer. However, when a doctor fails to do this critical aspect of patient care, it can often lead to complications that could have been prevented and escalate into a medical malpractice claim. If you’ve been a victim of poor follow-up care, this guide will help you take the legal steps to get the benefits you deserve. ## What’s Considered Inadequate Follow-Up Care? [Inadequate follow-up care](https://www.standardsofcare.org/medical-malpractice/types/failure-follow-care/) includes any failure by your doctor to stay on top of your recovery and respond to complications after a medical procedure or during ongoing treatment. A few examples of this might be: - Not scheduling necessary follow-up appointments - Neglecting to conduct appropriate tests to monitor progress - Failing to adjust treatment plans when you’re experiencing complications These seemingly minor oversights can severely jeopardize a patient’s health, especially when it has to do with cases involving severe illnesses or after major surgeries. For a free legal consultation, call [(800) 469-7429](tel:+18004697429) ## Main Risks Of Poor Follow-Up Care Inadequate follow-up care can lead to a range of severe consequences, such as: ### Worsening Health Conditions When a doctor doesn’t follow up, worsening symptoms might go unnoticed until they become serious health issues. For instance, a postoperative infection that could’ve been easily treated with early detection may need more intensive treatments or even lead to long-term health problems. ### Delayed Diagnosis of Complications A medical professional doing proper follow-up care will catch potential issues before they happen. Without it, you’re at risk of delayed diagnosis, which can limit treatment options and impact your prognosis. For example, say you’re a patient with a chronic disease like diabetes. If your doctor doesn’t properly check your blood sugar levels after an initial treatment, you may experience more complications that wouldn’t have initially happened. ### Increased Medical Costs Besides threatening your health, failure to follow up can lead to higher medical costs. When conditions worsen, or a doctor diagnoses a condition too late, you might need to undergo more expensive treatments to handle the problem. These could include additional surgeries, long-term medication plans, or intensive therapy, all of which could’ve been avoided with proper follow-up. ## Filing A Claim For Inadequate Follow-Up Care Filing a medical malpractice claim for poor follow-up care involves several critical steps: - **Proper Documentation:**Medical evidence is the most critical part of any malpractice case. Gather your medical records and evidence demonstrating the lack of appropriate follow-up care and link it directly to the harm suffered. - **Expert Testimony**: A medical expert familiar with your condition could help strengthen your claim. Hire someone who can prove how the standard of care wasn’t met in the follow-up process and how it impacted your health. - **Legal Consultation**: A knowledgeable malpractice attorney who can help articulate the breach of duty in follow-up care will be a valuable asset for your case. [Click to contact](https://ekjlaw.com/contact-us/) our attorneys today ## Speak To Our Attorneys Today If you suspect inadequate follow-up care affected your health, seeking professional legal advice should be your first step. Our New York [medical malpractice attorneys](https://ekjlaw.com/blog/medical-malpractice-lawsuit-settlement-values-questioned/) understand how to prove negligence in follow-up care and will seek justice for your injuries. Please [contact us online](https://ekjlaw.com/contact-us/) or at (866) 576-0484 for a comprehensive evaluation of your case and personalized guidance on proceeding with your claim. 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