The Ongoing Problem Of Hospital Negligence Part 4: Central Florida Hospitals
Any business owes a duty of professionalism to its customers, but Florida hospitals are held to a higher standard because their medical services directly impact patient safety. A hospital must deliver care in accordance with what is generally accepted in the medical field, which is measured by how a similarly situated facility would conduct operations. Numerous lawsuits for hospital negligence might be an indication of a subpar facility, but the Leapfrog Group also evaluates quality through Florida’s Hospital Safety Grade. The vast majority of facilities earned an A, but a few in Central Florida did not perform so well. After covering other geographic regions in this multi-part series on hospital negligence in Florida, it is time to turn to Central Florida Medical facilities.
A nearly 400 bed Medical Center & Heart Institute located in Ft. Pierce, FL received a lower-than-average safety rating due to serious surgical complications. Two of the most critical errors in the surgical field are a concern at this facility:
- Surgical site infection after colon surgery, where the infection starts within the colon and can quickly spread to other areas of the body
- Dangerous objects left inside the patient’s body after completing surgery, often a surgical sponge that is prone to absorbing bacteria and promoting infection
There are multiple forms of hospital negligence underlying these surgical errors, including failure to use antibiotics before surgery and maintain a sanitary operating room. Staff should also monitor patients carefully after major colon surgery. A policy of counting sponges or implementing an electronic scanning system ensures objects are not left inside patients. Additionally, this facility also experienced issues with communication between doctors and nurses, which is often another route cause of hospital errors.
Hospital errors like this can be life threatening or have long term effects as a result of negligent care. The Medical Malpractice attorneys at Freidin Brown, P.A. once handled a case where a 15-year-old girl was admitted to a South Florida hospital for heart surgery. Although the surgery went well, the next morning it was discovered that a pulmonary clamp had not been removed. Although emergency surgery was performed to remove the clamp, the young girl had suffered irreparable damage to her lungs and other internal organs. Sadly, she died leaving behind two grieving parents and three brothers and sisters. The attorneys at Freidin Brown, P.A. were able to obtain a quick confidential resolution of the case to allow the parents of this young girl to obtain justice on her behalf.
Another facility, located in Titusville, FL received a low grade from the Leapfrog Group because a significant number of patients developed dangerous blood clots as they were undergoing surgery or after the procedure. Blood cells may accumulate around sections of the veins that suffer damage during surgery. When the clot breaks away, it can travel to areas of the body and disrupt function. The safest hospitals apply pressure to parts of the body that are prone to developing clots, such as the legs. They also use blood thinners where appropriate and constantly monitor at-risk individuals. Failure to do the same could be considered hospital negligence because it represents a deviation from the medical standard of care.
Call Now to Speak to Our Florida Hospital Negligence Attorneys
Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Grades are useful for planning purposes and making wise choices on health care, but legal action may be necessary if you suffered harm. At Freidin Brown, P.A., our team is experienced in hospital negligence cases, so we are prepared to hold facilities accountable for their failure to provide proper care. Please contact our Florida hospital negligence attorneys to schedule a no-cost case review at our offices in Miami or Fort Myers, FL today.
Resource:
.hospitalsafetygrade.org/search?findBy=state&zip_code=&city=&state_prov=FL&hospital=
Hospitals Located in Central Florida:
AdventHealth Altamonte Springs
601 E. Altamonte Drive | Altamonte Springs, FL | Seminole County
Beds: 393 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Not-For-Profit
Parent System: AdventHealth
AdventHealth Apopka
2100 Ocoee Apopka Rd. | Apopka, FL | Orange County
Beds: 120 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Not-For-Profit
Parent System: AdventHealth
AdventHealth Celebration
400 Celebration Pl. | Celebration, FL | Osceola County
Beds: 317 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Not-For-Profit
Parent System: AdventHealth
AdventHealth East Orlando
7727 Lake Underhill Dr. | Orlando, FL | Orange County
Beds: 295 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Not-For-Profit
Parent System: AdventHealth
AdventHealth Kissimmee
2450 N. Orange Blossom Tr. | Kissimmee, FL | Osceola County
Beds: 162 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Not-For-Profit
Parent System: AdventHealth
AdventHealth Orlando
601 E. Rollins St. | Orlando, FL | Orange County
Beds: 1432 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Not-For-Profit
Parent System: AdventHealth
AdventHealth Winter Park
200 N. Lakemont Ave. | Winter Park, FL | Orange County
Beds: 422 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Not-For-Profit
Parent System: AdventHealth
Central Florida Regional Hospital
1401 W. Seminole Blvd. | Sanford, FL | Seminole County
Beds: 221 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Investor-Owned
Parent System: HCA North Florida Division
Encompass Health Rehab Hospital of Altamonte Springs
831 S. State Road 434 | Altamonte Springs, FL | Seminole County
Beds: 70 | Organization Type: Rehabilitation | Ownership: Investor-Owned
Parent System: Encompass Health
Health First Cape Canaveral Hospital
701 W. Cocoa Beach Cswy. | Cocoa Beach, FL | Brevard County
Beds: 150 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Not-For-Profit
Parent System: Health First, Inc.
Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center
1350 S. Hickory St. | Melbourne, FL | Brevard County
Beds: 550 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Not-For-Profit
Parent System: Health First, Inc.
Health First Palm Bay Hospital
1425 Malabar Rd., N.E. | Palm Bay, FL | Brevard County
Beds: 120 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Not-For-Profit
Parent System: Health First, Inc.
Health First Viera Hospital
8745 N. Wickham Rd. | Melbourne, FL | Brevard County
Beds: 84 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Not-For-Profit
Parent System: Health First, Inc.
Kindred Hospital Melbourne
765 W. Nasa Blvd. | Melbourne, FL | Brevard County
Beds: 60 | Organization Type: Acute Care/LTC | Ownership: Investor-Owned
Parent System: Kindred Healthcare
Melbourne Regional Medical Center
250 N. Wickham Rd. | Melbourne, FL | Brevard County
Beds: 119 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Investor-Owned
Parent System: Steward Health Care
Nemours Children’s Hospital
13535 Nemours Pkwy. | Orlando, FL | Orange County
Beds: 130 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Not-For-Profit
Parent System:
Orlando Health – Health Central Hospital
10000 W. Colonial Dr. | Ocoee, FL | Orange County
Beds: 216 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Not-For-Profit
Parent System: Orlando Health
Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children
92 W. Miller St. | Orlando, FL | Orange County
Beds: 158 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Not-For-Profit
Parent System: Orlando Health
Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital
9400 Turkey Lake Rd. | Orlando, FL | Orange County
Beds: 285 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Not-For-Profit
Parent System: Orlando Health
Orlando Health Horizon West Hospital
17000 Porter Rd. | Winter Garden, FL | Orange County
Beds: 60 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Not-For-Profit
Parent System: Orlando Health
Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center
52 W. Underwood St. | Orlando, FL | Orange County
Beds: 898 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Not-For-Profit
Parent System: Orlando Health
Orlando Health South Seminole Hospital
555 W. State Road 434 | Longwood, FL | Seminole County
Beds: 206 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Not-For-Profit
Parent System: Orlando Health
Orlando Health St. Cloud Hospital
2906 17th St. | St. Cloud, FL | Osceola County
Beds: 84 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Not-For-Profit
Parent System: Orlando Health
Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hosp. for Women & Babies
83 W. Miller St. | Orlando, FL | Orange County
Beds: 348 | Organization Type: Acute Care/Dept. | Ownership: Not-For-Profit
Parent System: Orlando Health
Osceola Regional Medical Center
700 W. Oak St. | Kissimmee, FL | Osceola County
Beds: 404 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Investor-Owned
Parent System: HCA North Florida Division
Oviedo Medical Center
8300 Red Bug Lake Rd. | Oviedo, FL | Seminole County
Beds: 64 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Investor-Owned
Parent System: HCA North Florida Division
Poinciana Medical Center
325 Cypress Parkway | Kissimmee, FL | Osceola County
Beds: 76 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Investor-Owned
Parent System: HCA North Florida Division
Rockledge Regional Medical Center
110 Longwood Ave. | Rockledge, FL | Brevard County
Beds: 298 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Investor-Owned
Parent System: Steward Health Care
Sea Pines Rehab Hospital affiliate of Encompass Health
101 E. Florida Ave. | Melbourne, FL | Brevard County
Beds: 90 | Organization Type: Rehabilitation | Ownership: Investor-Owned
Parent System: Encompass Health
Select Specialty Hospital-Orlando North
2250 Bedford Rd. | Orlando, FL | Orange County
Beds: 35 | Organization Type: Acute Care/LTC | Ownership: Investor-Owned
Parent System: Select Medical
Select Specialty Hospital-Orlando South
5579 S. Orange Ave. | Edgewood, FL | Orange County
Beds: 64 | Organization Type: Acute Care/LTC | Ownership: Investor-Owned
Parent System: Select Medical
UCF Lake Nona Medical Center
6700 Lake Nona Blvd. | Orlando, FL | Orange County
Beds: 64 | Organization Type: Acute Care | Ownership: Investor-Owned
Parent System: HCA North Florida Division
