Recent Blog Posts

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, having overtaken lung cancer for the first time and rising to become the second leading cause of cancer death in 2020. The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) also reports that a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every 14 seconds, and this type of...

COVID-19 has impacted Florida health care professionals in many immeasurable, devastating ways, but there is one unexpected consequence that you might not consider. A recent study revealed that almost 74 percent of physicians are hospital or corporate employees, and the pandemic was a motivating factor. The proportion of doctors who became employed by hospitals,...

Safety should be a top priority at Florida hospitals, but data reveals that some health care facilities fall short when it comes to exposing patients to a risk of harm. In an article published by Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, researchers reported that more than 200,000 individuals die from hospital errors every year, including health...

Hospitals are where people head for the treatment of medical conditions, so it is disturbing to learn how frequently patients suffer additional injuries or ailments because of being hospitalized. Estimates on patient harm associated with hospital care reveal that more than 210,000 fatalities are linked to preventable harm by hospital administration, staff, and other...

Though medical malpractice is a type of personal injury claim, there are additional details, requirements, and concepts that apply to these cases under Florida law. One important factor is that a plaintiff is required to conduct a reasonable investigation before filing a lawsuit, and the statute is very specific on how to meet the...

There are many statistics on the incidence of nursing home neglect and abuse in Florida and throughout the US, but data also indicates that the problem exists on a global scale. A report from the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that 1 in 6 individuals living in assisted living facilities suffered some form of...

Experts estimate that there are around 230 million major surgeries performed under anesthesia every year worldwide, and the vast majority of these procedures go off without a hitch. A study published by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) indicates that patients who suffer adverse complications from anesthesia could be as low as 3 percent....

When symptoms that start out as a slight tightness in the chest, discomfort in the neck and shoulders, or lightheadedness begin to worsen and become painful, which could be a sign that you are experiencing an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) – i.e., heart attack. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports...

Though the majority of Florida health care providers adhere to their duty to deliver treatment in accordance with applicable medical standards, there are some who fall short. If you or a loved one suffered harm due to medical negligence, you may be able to pursue legal remedies through a medical malpractice lawsuit. Under Florida’s...

Individuals and their families choose a nursing home environment expecting top quality resident care and security, but sometimes negligent acts can result in residents developing sepsis and septic shock. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines sepsis as the human body’s extreme response to the presence of an infection. Unfortunately, residents...

There is no doubt that nurses are among the hardest working staff members at any Florida hospital, clinic, or health care facility. They take on important responsibilities and play an essential role with patient care. Still, nurses are held to certain standards just like other health care professionals, and failure to provide adequate care...

While some data reveals encouraging signs about the decreasing death rate from stroke over the last decade, other statistics may be cause for alarm. According to the American Heart Association (AHA) Fact Sheet on stroke data, this medical condition is responsible for around 1 of every 19 deaths in the US every year. This...

Learning that you have cancer is life changing. Imagine your situation if you do not learn about it because of negligence by health care providers. As time passes without essential medical treatment, cancerous cells take over at their point of origin and begin to spread to other parts of the body. The Mayo Clinic...

In Florida, medical malpractice may occur when a health care provider causes injuries to a patient by deviating from the generally accepted standard of care that applies under the circumstances. Another concept of state personal injury laws is vicarious liability, in which an employer can be held accountable for the negligent acts of an...

Commonly known as a “heart attack”, a myocardial infarction occurs when one or more areas of the heart do not get enough oxygen most often due to a blockage of blood flow from a clot. Without oxygen, the muscles deteriorate and die. Irreversible damage may occur within 30 minutes of the formation of the...

Whenever you are hospitalized for an injury or illness, you probably do not give much thought to the ancillary treatment and secondary procedures health care providers employ to support your needs. As such, data from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) might surprise you as it pertains to one common procedure....

If you suffered harm from medical malpractice by a Florida health care provider, you know that there are certain facts that you must prove to be entitled to compensation. Under the state medical negligence statute, you need to show that you suffered harm because a health care provider deviated from the relevant medical standard...

Even without a medical degree, you know that misdiagnosis through mistakes or delays can lead to serious patient harm. However, there is another aspect of diagnosis errors that you might not expect: Overdiagnosis, which the American Journal of Epidemiology defines as identifying a medical condition that would not otherwise go on to cause patient...

Few people would deny that nurses are among the hardest working people in Florida, but even these dedicated employees have their limitations when overworked. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the odds of nurses committing an error increase three-fold when they work more than 12 hours compared to 8-hour...

For patients with concerns about cancer, awaiting diagnosis from a health care provider is an emotional roller coaster. Those who receive good news will be elated, while a patient’s life will be turned around upon hearing that a medical condition is cancerous. Unfortunately, statistics indicate that individuals in either group could be shocked to...

Like other US states, Florida has enacted numerous statutes that hold health care providers liable when their negligence leads to patient harm. State medical malpractice laws dictate that practitioners are required to comply with prevailing professional standards of care when treating patients, and a breach could give rise to legal action. The statute applies...

Physical abuse in nursing homes is illegal and intolerable, but it is important to understand that misconduct can come in forms you may not expect. One of the most heartbreaking types of mistreatment is improper use of restraints, such as ties around the wrists or ankles. Florida law imposes very specific requirements for use...

OB/GYNs and other physicians involved with pregnancy and birth are hit with some of the highest rates of medical malpractice claims in all of medicine. To ease the financial burden on health care providers and the insurers that provide them with malpractice coverage, lawmakers enacted the Florida Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Plan in 1988....

As a Florida health care provider, you have probably encountered an informed consent situation. The term refers to the requirements a physician must meet before delivering care, as well as communicating the implications of treatment in a way the patient will understand. When handled appropriately, a doctor may not be liable for certain outcomes...

Misdiagnosis is often referred to as the “blind spot” of the medical field, akin to when motorists do not see an obstacle because they just did not look hard enough. The comparison might be a stretch, but eliminating diagnostic errors remains one of the most important imperatives in medicine. In hospital emergency departments, the...

You are right to be concerned if you experience chest pain, shortness of breath, or other classic symptoms of heart attack, and you know the importance of getting medical attention right away. Upon arrival, you can expect health care providers to conduct a thorough physical exam, along with various diagnostic screenings to assess your...

We rely on nursing homes to care for our most vulnerable loved ones. Sadly, in far too many cases, nursing homes fail to live up to their basic responsibilities. According to data cited by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), approximately 1 in 5 nursing homes nationwide were cited for serious quality violations in 2015....

It is certainly concerning that cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the US, falling behind heart disease and just ahead of personal injury accidents. However, other statistics from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are encouraging. The number of individuals who died because of cancer and complications has...

Medical negligence by a Florida health care provider can have devastating consequences for a patient, but malpractice may be fatal in the most tragic situations. Some studies have even suggested that misdiagnosis, medication errors, surgical mistakes, and related misconduct comprise the third leading cause of death in the US. For surviving family members, the...

Many individuals have a basic understanding of how a typical Florida medical malpractice claim arises. A patient is under the care of a physician, who makes a mistake with treatment or assessment of a medical condition. The victim suffers considerable losses, for which he or she should be entitled to compensation. Unfortunately, medical malpractice...