A framework to characterize the costs of delayed diagnoses.

Diagnostic delays result in substantial but often overlooked costs extending beyond direct medical care. This conceptual scaffold classifies consequences for patients, families, clinicians, healthcare organizations, and society, including financial burdens, psychological harm, productivity losses, and wasted resources. By providing a common language for measuring these impacts, the framework supports more thorough evaluation of diagnostic improvement initiatives and strengthens the case for investing in diagnostic excellence.