Pensacola, Fla.-based Baptist Health Care has agreed to pay $5 million to settle a medical malpractice lawsuit brought by a patient who alleged an eight-month delay in diagnosing her breast cancer after a radiologist interpreted her imaging as normal, according to a July 6 Pensacola News Journal report.
The patient filed suit after a lump identified during imaging in February 2022 was not diagnosed as cancer until October 2022, when she was found to have Stage 4 breast cancer, according to the report. The lawsuit alleged a radiologist employed by Radiology Associates of Pensacola, now Acumen Medical Imaging and Interventional, misread a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound. Acumen separately agreed to pay $2 million, bringing the total settlement to $7 million.
The settlement with Baptist was reached June 5, just before opening arguments were scheduled to begin. Baptist told Pensacola News Journal the agreement “does not represent an admission of guilt or liability” and was reached to avoid the distraction and expense of continued litigation.
As part of the settlement, Baptist agreed to revise patient communications following normal breast imaging results, and Acumen agreed to adopt a policy allowing patients with breast lumps to request a consultation with the interpreting radiologist. Separately, the Florida Board of Medicine fined the radiologist $6,500 and ordered five hours of continuing medical education on breast imaging interpretation.
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