Recent Blog Posts

Many people assume that any type of medical mistake is grounds for a medical malpractice claim or, more specifically, that it is enough to show that a physician did not exercise reasonable care in providing treatment. Much of the confusion comes from the fact that med mal cases are a subset of personal injury...

How to Recognize this Common Fraud Pattern Upcoding and unbundling are examples of healthcare billing fraud that involve the improper use of billing codes by health care providers. Billing codes (known as CPT codes) are a part of the Medicare healthcare program. The program uses a set of tables to determine how much a...

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US. This medical condition kills 647,000 people every year, which is around 1 in 4 of all deaths. While a combination of medication and lifestyle changes can alleviate certain types of heart disease,...

By now, many people in Florida and across the country have read the Johns Hopkins study about medical errors being the third leading cause of death in the US. Perhaps you have even reviewed additional articles and media coverage about this earth shattering news, or saw related memes pop up in social media. However,...

Medical errors can happen to any patient, and any medical professional can commit them. Even the best-rated hospitals can have negligent employees or practices that put patients at risk. Medical malpractice is an unfortunate reality that leaves people like you struggling and in pain. Nationwide and Florida statistics about incidents of medical malpractice indicate...

One of the most common questions individuals ask Miami medical malpractice attorneys involves the distinction between med mal claims and wrongful death. Some of the confusion probably lies in the fact that the two legal concepts are closely related. When a health care provider engages in medical negligence as defined by Florida law, the...

When you think about the health care providers most likely to be negligent in providing treatment, OB/GYNs, surgeons, and doctors in medical specialties might come to mind. However, you might change your mind when you realize that misdiagnosis accounted for more than half of all medical malpractice claims in a JAMA Internal Medicine study....

For a patient, it can be difficult to accept that your Florida healthcare provider could be responsible for making a critical error in providing care. Yet, your symptoms, worsening of your condition, deteriorating well-being, and other factors all seem to point in the direction of medical malpractice. Frustration, fear, anger, and other emotions are...

There are many legal bases for a medical malpractice lawsuit, but these matters are rarely as clear-cut as a sponge or other item being left inside the patient after surgery. One of the most complicated types of cases in Florida is stroke malpractice, which may involve an error in treatment or misdiagnosis. In studying...

A diagnosis of cerebral palsy can have a tremendous emotional impact on the family – especially when the condition was caused by a Florida health care provider’s medical mistake. The financial implications regarding the costs of medical care after a devastating birth injury are also difficult for families to deal with. Statistics from the...

A misdiagnosis by a Florida health care provider can lead to disastrous consequences for the patient, but there are certain types of diagnosis mistakes that are more prevalent and devastating than others. Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine refer to these scenarios as the “Big 3” for purposes of misdiagnosis. Diagnostic errors are already the...

While the appendix is a relatively small organ that has no apparent function in the human body, it can lead to life-threatening complications when inflamed. Appendicitis causes severe pain in the lower right part of the belly, nausea, and vomiting, but the most serious issues result from a ruptured appendix. As such, a timely...

Head injuries are a serious concern, but you may not realize the risks until you review the numbers. According to the Brain Trauma Foundation, around 2.5 million people suffer traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year. More than 50,000 die as a result of their injuries, and another 80,000 are permanently disabled. The leading causes...

When physicians prescribe medications that could be addictive, they have a duty to make sure patients understand the risks and the need to monitor for signs of addition. Unfortunately, some health care providers may be careless with their responsibilities, potentially leading to abuse and associated harm. One of the most well-known, prevalent issues involves...

One of the initial stages of litigation in a Florida medical malpractice case is the pre-suit investigation and response provided by the prospective defendant after receiving notice that you intend to file a lawsuit to recover damages. The statute allows the health care provider 90 days to look into your allegations and either: Reject...

Florida once again ranked in the Top 10 US states for medical malpractice payouts according to the 2019 Medical Malpractice Payout Report prepared by LeverageRx, an analytics resource and insurance marketplace for doctors. Another key finding in the publication is that, after a steady increase over the last few years, the average settlement for...

You would never expect that health care professionals could be guilty of allowing bias to affect the practice of medicine, but it’s a bigger problem than you think. According to findings from a survey published by WebMD, as many as 4 in 10 physicians admit that preconceived notions about a patient affect their judgment...

To try to stay updated on Covid-related developments here in Florida (ie: for purely non-political reasons), I started following Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Twitter at the beginning of the Pandemic.  Just a couple days ago, a tweet from the Governor came up on my feed indicating that, since the Pandemic Florida has established...

Medical malpractice is a serious concern in any context, but the effects and implications are even more problematic when the victim is an elderly person. In a report on medical malpractice claims involving the elderly, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission reported that patients over age 70 were considerably more likely to suffer severe injuries...

Many people ask their Florida medical malpractice attorney this question, and may be surprised to learn that the answer is: “It depends.” The truth is that every case involving medical error or negligence is different, so it is not possible to give an exact dollar value without knowing the specifics of your situation. However, it may...

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI), commonly known as a heart attack, is often linked to underlying health problems, but many people don’t realize that some common medications can also lead to a heart attack. When a person experiences AMI, the heart does not actually stop beating altogether; instead, it begins to beat irregularly, which can...

While chemotherapy may have been recommended by your physicians for cancer treatment, the treatment does not come without side effects and risks. The American Cancer Society describes a few of these, including easy bruising and bleeding, infection, anemia, kidney problems, and nerve issues. Many of the consequences of chemo are expected and unavoidable: They’re...

If your child suffered a birth injury that led to cerebral palsy, you can expect that there will be physical pain that lasts a lifetime. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mentions such complications as muscle stiffness, spasms, and difficulties controlled movement. However, your child may sustain additional losses while getting older....

There is an expectation that residents of nursing homes will develop different medical conditions that come with age, but other health issues may be the result of negligence by health care providers at the facility. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one of the biggest problems in long-term care facilities...

Congratulations to attorney Jonathan Freidin, who recently recovered a $270,000 settlement on behalf of his client. The case involved a pedestrian who was struck by a security golf cart in her condominium parking lot, resulting in an ankle fracture and dislocation. “We are happy about this result for our client, who can finally have...

Electronic health records (EHRs) are intended to help health care providers communicate better, update patient medical records in real time, and make the entire doctor-patient encounter more efficient. Unfortunately, the benefits of these solutions have not yet been fully realized. According to a 2017 study released by The Doctor’s Company, a physician-owned medical malpractice...

Breast cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in the US, where Breastcancer.org reports that approximately 1 in 8 women will develop the disease during their lifetime. Researchers estimate that almost 276,500 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2020, as well as 48,500 new non-invasive cases. Fortunately, the...

According to a recent Modern Healthcare publication, there are approximately 161,250 preventable deaths that occur in US hospitals every year. Based upon what you may know about medical malpractice, you might assume that the hospital would be liable for the medical errors that cause these fatalities. However, hospital negligence is somewhat different from the...

If you suffered harm because of a Florida healthcare provider’s medical error, one of the first questions you’ll ask is, “How much is my medical malpractice case worth?”  The short answer is that it depends since the facts of each case are unique. However, there are often statewide and national averages that we can...

When a loved one is discharged from the hospital, you trust that health care providers made the right decision. In the majority of situations, the hospital discharge is proper, and patients go home to a successful recovery. Unfortunately, the opposite is true in some cases, which can lead to tragic consequences. A National Institutes...