New Test Hopes to Reduce Indiana Medical Malpractice Claims

Our attorneys at Fleschner, Stark, Tanoos & Newlin know that a misdiagnosis is one of the leading contributing factors to Indiana medical malpractice claims today. That’s why we’re excited to learn that a new advancement in medical technology is working to prevent such errors from occurring in the first place.

According to an article from the Indianapolis Star, an Indianapolis-based company, Strand Analytical Laboratories, is using DNA testing to help reduce the chances of a surgeon or doctor giving a patient the wrong diagnosis after undergoing a biopsy.

The company got its start after hearing about how common mix-ups were with prostate biopsy results. In fact, one in every 200 patients who undergo the procedure will have their results swapped with those of another patient. This often leads to misdiagnosis and patients undergoing unnecessary medical treatments.

To prevent the errors from occurring, the company’s Know Error system works by matching DNA samples from the patient to those of their biopsy. This reduces the chances of the samples from one patient being recorded as those of another.

So far, the system is being considered a success and Strand is hoping to expand their operations to serve more labs and hospitals in the future.

At Fleschner, Stark, Tanoos & Newlin, we are always excited to learn about new ways that medical errors are being prevented and our Terre Haute personal injury lawyers are hopeful this new technique can be adopted by other facilities.