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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Isabel Keane

Cancer patient gets settlement after suing hospital and doctor over missed diagnosis

  • 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.

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