Law Firm Overview

Florida Medical Malpractice Law Firm

Over 25 years of experience representing victims of medical malpractice!
Our law firm is one of only a small percentage of law firms in the nation to achieve the prestigious honor of being awarded the preeminent law firm status.

Our firm is dedicated to protecting the legal rights of individuals and their families when a patient or family member suffers serious injury or death as a result of negligent doctors, nurses, hospitals and clinics.

Studies completed by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences estimated as many as 98,000 patients may be killed each year in hospitals alone as a result of medical errors. Yet only a small percentage of these cases result in the filing of a medical malpractice lawsuit. WHY?

Patients and their families are often puzzled about what happened or why.
It takes a team of experienced medical malpractice lawyers, nurse consultants and medical consultants to investigate and comb the medical charts of a patient to understand just exactly what happened to cause serious injury or death. Medical providers have been known to change chart entries or otherwise cover up after a medical malpractice incident.

Get medical malpractice legal help now! Do not delay seeking legal advice. Most states, including Florida have a short 2-year statute of limitations in medical malpractice cases. The sooner you ask a medical malpractice attorney about your legal rights the better chance you have of a successful investigation and result.

Common Types of Medical Malpractice Cases

Medication Errors

Medication errors are a common form of medical negligence. Doctors, nurses and medical staff responsible for properly prescribing, administering and monitoring the effects of medications often fail to provide the medical standard of care expected of a similar medical provider. The result can be devastating to the patient. Adverse reactions due to medications are often not “just an accident” and often time is not “just an acceptable risk” Incorrectly prescribed medications, wrong dosages and dangerously prescribed combinations of medications can cause serious injury or death.

Anesthesia Errors

Patients should be appropriately risk classified based on prior medical history and past adverse reactions to anesthetics before any doctor or nurse anesthetist administers anesthesia to a patient. Permanent severe adverse side effects from sudden respiratory depression, reduced oxygen saturations and cardiac arrest can be avoided if anesthesia is properly prescribed and monitored with the proper medical personnel onboard in the operating room.

Surgical Errors

Surgeons never mean to purposefully harm a patient but often times negligent surgeons seriously injury or kill their patients. Haphazard scalpel cutting on organs that should not have been cut during surgery can result in serious complications such as unnecessary loss of a body part, peritonitis and life threatening infections.

Misdiagnosis/Failure to Diagnose a Serious Treatable Condition

Even insidious diseases such as cancer, kidney failure and infections, if diagnosed in early stages, are readily treatable. But if the doctor fails to diagnose and treat the condition when the symptoms and testing warrant it then patients unnecessarily suffer serious harmful effects, up to and including lifelong complications and early death.

Failure to Monitor

In and out of the hospital medications, medical conditions and side effects need to be medically monitored. The side effects of anesthesia, blood thinners and other medications need to be monitored by professional medical personnel. Bedridden patients need to be turned periodically to avoid the development of bedsores or decubitus ulcers.

What are Your Rights and Responsibilities?

Aside from your right to be represented by an experienced medical malpractice attorney in the event of a serious injury or death resulting from medical negligence, here are your patient rights in Florida even if there is no negligence involved.

FLORIDA PATIENT'S BILL OF RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Florida law requires that your health care provider or health care facility recognize your rights while you are receiving medical care and that you respect the health care provider's or health care facility's right to expect certain behavior on the part of patients. You may request a copy of the full text of this law from your health care provider or health care facility. A summary of your rights and responsibilities follows:

• A patient has the right to be treated with courtesy and respect, with appreciation of his or her individual dignity, and with protection of his or her need for privacy.
• A patient has the right to a prompt and reasonable response to questions and requests.
• A patient has the right to know who is providing medical services and who is responsible for his or her care.
• A patient has the right to know what patient support services are available, including whether an interpreter is available if he or she does not speak English.
• A patient has the right to know what rules and regulations apply to his or her conduct.
• A patient has the right to be given by the health care provider information concerning diagnosis, planned course of treatment, alternatives, risks, and prognosis.
• A patient has the right to refuse any treatment, except as otherwise provided by law.
• A patient has the right to be given, upon request, full information and necessary counseling on the availability of known financial resources for his or her care.
• A patient who is eligible for Medicare has the right to know, upon request and in advance of treatment, whether the health care provider or health care facility accepts the Medicare assignment rate.
• A patient has the right to receive, upon request, prior to treatment, a reasonable estimate of charges for medical care.
• A patient has the right to receive a copy of a reasonably clear and understandable, itemized bill and, upon request, to have the charges explained.
• A patient has the right to impartial access to medical treatment or accommodations, regardless of race, national origin, religion, handicap, or source of payment.
• A patient has the right to treatment for any emergency medical condition that will deteriorate from failure to provide treatment.
• A patient has the right to know if medical treatment is for purposes of experimental research and to give his or her consent or refusal to participate in such experimental research.
• A patient has the right to express grievances regarding any violation of his or her rights, as stated in Florida law, through the grievance procedure of the health care provider or health care facility which served him or her and to the appropriate state licensing agency.
• A patient is responsible for providing to the health care provider, to the best of his or her knowledge, accurate and complete information about present complaints, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medications, and other matters relating to his or her health.
• A patient is responsible for reporting unexpected changes in his or her condition to the health care provider.
• A patient is responsible for reporting to the health care provider whether he or she comprehends a contemplated course of action and what is expected of him or her.
• A patient is responsible for following the treatment plan recommended by the health care provider.
• A patient is responsible for keeping appointments and, when he or she is unable to do so for any reason, for notifying the health care provider or health care facility.
• A patient is responsible for his or her actions if he or she refuses treatment or does not follow the health care provider's instructions.
• A patient is responsible for assuring that the financial obligations of his or her health care are fulfilled as promptly as possible.
• A patient is responsible for following health care facility rules and regulations affecting patient care and conduct.

Areas of Practice

• Social Security -- Disability
• Nursing Home
• Personal Injury -- Plaintiff
• Motor Vehicle Accidents -- Plaintiff
• Products Liability Law
• Medical Malpractice

West Practice Categories

Social Security -- Disability, Motor Vehicle Accidents -- Plaintiff, Products Liability Law, Medical Malpractice