Florida woman Deborah Higgs received a $7 million settlement after being diagnosed with terminal Stage 4 breast cancer following an initial clear mammogram.
Higgs found a lump in February 2022 and visited Baptist Medical Park in Pensacola, where Dr. Henry Lusane, a radiologist, gave her the all-clear, saying that her diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound showed “that nothing was wrong,” court records obtained by the Pensacola News Journal revealed.
Eight months later, in October, the lump had grown and become painful, leading to a diagnosis of terminal Stage 4 breast cancer, indicating a significant delay in treatment.
The settlement, reached just before opening arguments, included $5 million from Baptist Health Care and $2 million from Acumen Medical Imaging and Interventional, the doctors’ group.
As part of the agreement, Baptist Health Care will provide documentation advising follow-up even with normal results, and the radiology group will allow women with breast lumps to request an audience with the radiologist.
Original source: gb