A wrong diagnosis can change everything about your medical care. It can lead to months of treating a condition you don’t have, dealing with symptoms that continue to worsen, or undergoing medical procedures that didn’t need to happen. By the time the correct diagnosis comes, the damage is often already done.
Misdiagnosis is one of the most serious forms of medical malpractice because it delays proper care. Some patients face permanent injuries, while others develop entirely new complications from unnecessary procedures or medications. The emotional impact is just as real—frustration, fear, and uncertainty are common.
This is often when people reach out to us. They’ve gone through the tests, medications, and hospital visits. Now, they want to know whether the doctor could have prevented the error and whether they can file a misdiagnosis lawsuit.
At Poulos & Coates, we help New Mexico patients navigate the legal side of medical mistakes. Our team includes attorneys, a medical doctor, and nurses who work together to review these cases carefully. We examine both the medical records and the legal standards involved to provide clear answers about what happened and why.
If you believe a healthcare provider misdiagnosed your condition, here’s where to begin.
Start By Obtaining Copies of Your Medical Records
The first step in any misdiagnosis case is requesting your medical records, which explain what care you received, what decisions were made, and how your doctors handled your symptoms along the way.
Medical records usually include:
- Test results and lab reports,
- Notes from doctors and specialists,
- Medication history,
- Emergency room records or hospital discharge papers, and
- Follow-up appointment notes.
Collecting this information helps build the timeline of your care. The details can reveal whether a doctor missed symptoms, ordered the wrong tests, or diagnosed the wrong condition. They also help clarify when the misdiagnosis happened and how long it took for the correct diagnosis to be made.
Medical records are a central part of the case in a misdiagnosis lawsuit. They show what went wrong and help explain how the mistake affected your health.
Get Medical Care for the Correct Diagnosis
After you receive the correct diagnosis, continue with the recommended treatment. Following through supports your recovery and helps document how the delay impacted your condition.
Updated medical records can show:
- When the correct treatment finally began;
- What additional procedures, surgeries, or therapies became necessary;
- How your condition progressed during the time without proper care; and
- The extra costs, stress, and complications that resulted.
Keeping track of appointments, prescriptions, bills, and receipts helps your legal team build a claim that reflects the full extent of your experience.
Speak With a Medical Malpractice Lawyer Who Knows Both Medicine and Law
Once you begin treatment for the correct diagnosis, the next step is determining whether the earlier diagnosis was handled appropriately. That review involves more than just reading medical records. It requires understanding how doctors evaluate symptoms, decide which tests to order, and choose treatment plans.
At Poulos & Coates, this is the work we do every day. Our firm has represented patients in misdiagnosis cases for decades. One of our attorneys is also a licensed medical doctor, and two full-time nurses assist with case reviews. This medical insight allows us to identify where the diagnostic process failed, whether the doctor missed warning signs, and how the mistake affected your health.
When you’re wondering, “Who can help with my case?” The answer is a team that knows how to uncover medical errors and build legal claims around them. That starts with experience in both medicine and law.
What You Need to Prove in a Misdiagnosis Lawsuit
Pursuing a misdiagnosis case requires meeting specific legal standards under New Mexico law. To move forward, three elements must be shown:
- You had a doctor-patient relationship. The healthcare provider owed you a duty of care.
- The provider made a diagnostic error. They missed a diagnosis they should have found based on your symptoms and test results.
- The mistake caused harm. You experienced additional treatment needs, a more serious health outcome, or emotional and physical suffering due to the delay in care.
Understanding how to sue for misdiagnosis starts with proving these elements. Without clear evidence of all three, the case cannot proceed.
Prepare for the Legal Process
Misdiagnosis cases take time to build because they involve both medical decisions and legal steps. Building a misdiagnosis case starts with a detailed review of your medical care. Attorneys and medical experts work together to collect your records, consult with specialists, interview witnesses, and organize the timeline of events.
This investigation may reveal that multiple providers, such as specialists, emergency room doctors, radiologists, or lab technicians, contributed to the mistake.
New Mexico requires these cases to go through a medical review commission before filing in court. The commission examines your records and reviews expert opinions to decide whether the case meets the standard for legal action.
Poulos & Coates handles every part of this process. Our attorneys and medical professionals work together to gather evidence, communicate with healthcare providers, and build a strong claim while you continue your care.
Contact Poulos & Coates for Help With a Misdiagnosis Case
When a doctor gives the wrong diagnosis and your health suffers, you need a team that knows how to handle both the medical and legal sides of the situation.
At Poulos & Coates, medical malpractice is the only type of case we take. Our team includes a licensed medical doctor, two full-time nurses, and attorneys with over 100 years of combined experience. We review your medical records, explain your legal rights, and help you understand whether you have a case so you can make informed decisions about what to do next.
Our goal is to help patients and families across New Mexico hold healthcare providers accountable. We fight for answers, fair compensation, and the support you need to focus on your health and recovery.
Contact Poulos & Coates today at 575-523-4444 for a free consultation.
Greig Coates, M.D., J.D.
Over the last thirty years, Dr. Coates has successfully represented plaintiffs in every conceivable type of medical malpractice lawsuit–from single-physician cases to complex litigation involving over a dozen doctors and several hospitals. Dr. Coates has taken several thousand physician depositions in his career involving every known physician specialty and sub-specialty, and almost as many depositions involving hospital personnel such as nurses, techs, and administrators. He has tried several dozen cases to successful verdicts.
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