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Portland, OR asked
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Medical Malpractice, Insurance Bad Faith, Health Care Law and Personal Injury for Washington
Q: Seeking guidance after medical neglect led to emergency surgery due to delayed treatment and denied medication.
Last year, after my gastric bypass surgery, my doctor referred me for an endoscopy, but the clinic lost my referral, leading to a delay in treatment until February 2025. By May 2025, I developed a massive ulcer that resulted in a 2-inch hole in my stomach, requiring emergency surgery. My surgeon indicated that a certain medication could have prevented this, but I was denied coverage by my insurance, and the pharmacy wouldn't let me pay out of pocket. I suspect my doctor's office may not have provided the necessary information to the insurance company for approval. Now, various parties involved are blaming each other, and legal aid suggested reporting my primary care doctors for neglect. I'm confused about the responsibility but believe I shouldn't have ended up in this situation. I seek guidance on how to navigate these issues.
1
Lawyer Answer
A: A Washington attorney could advise best, but you await a response for a week. I'm sorry for your ordeal. You could reach out to local med mal attorneys to discuss further. If they expressed interest, they could look further into Legal Aid's analysis. Free initial consults are the norm with med mal cases. Some firms might find this matter to be daunting - seeing a possibility of some of the entities involved pointing fingers at each other. You could reach out to local law firms to learn how they see things - that would provide the most reliable assessment. I hope you're okay. Good luck
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