Jacksonville Medical Error Lawyers
Medical Errors
Your loved one goes into the hospital and never comes out. Did they die from their illness or a medical error?
In 2000, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in a report titled, "To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System," gathered data from two large studies and found that at least 44,000 and perhaps as many as 98,000 Americans die each year as a result of medical errors.
That is more deaths than car accidents, AIDS, or breast cancer.
One in three Americans say they or a family member has experienced a medical error that has left them injured or in some cases were fatal.
What Are Medical Errors?
Medical errors can include hospital infections - the fourth leading cause of death among Americans which can come from germ-laden instruments, unclean facilities, and a failure by half of doctors and nurses in hospitals to wash their hands between patients.
Medical errors can also include deep-vein thrombosis (DVT), post-operative respiratory failure or embolus and bed sores.
A failure to rescue is a little known and always fatal event that happens in the majority of hospital cases before Code Blue is called. According to HealthGrades, an independent healthcare rating company, 188,000 lives were lost between 2004 and 2006, about 128 deaths for every 1,000 patients.
The worst failure to rescue mistakes involved respiratory failure, pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis, sepsis, and abdominal wounds that split open after surgery.
HealthGrades also looked at deaths from medical errors among Medicare patients during the same time period and found there were 238,337 preventable deaths which cost the program and ultimately taxpayers $8.8 billion.
Healthgrades says if all hospitals reached the performance level of top-ranked hospitals there could be about 220,106 fewer patient safety incidents and 37,214 patient deaths could be avoided along with a savings of about $2 billion.
According to HealthGrades, among the entire population, not just Medicare patients, there were 575-thousand preventable deaths caused by medical errors.
What You Can Do
The American Academy of Family Physicians says you need to be your own advocate to reduce medical errors.
The single most important thing you can do is become an active member of your own health care team. Take part in every decision and communicate with your doctors. Tell them everything you are taking, including over-the counter medications and prescriptions and vitamins. Do not assume they know about your health.
At Farah & Farah we have actively fought the legislative battle to place caps on damages when you are harmed by a medical error.
That is because caps on damages don't stop frivolous lawsuits, as promoters claim. Instead, they block the necessary lawsuits by the worst offenders who have hurt patients. Caps on damages encourage bad medical care by allowing wrongdoers to escape responsibility.
Over the last several years, the Florida Legislature has passed laws limiting a victim's right in a medical malpractice action. At Farah & Farah, we have fought these measures in this legislature and even though your rights as a consumer have been affected, we are still dedicated to pursuing your meritorious claim for medical malpractice in Florida.
Many other law firms have been deterred from pursuing these types of cases because they may not be able to recover their cost in bringing the case to trial. However, at Farah & Farah we are still dedicated to protecting the rights of the injured and will not back down in spite of the caps on damages. Our firm will not give up fighting for the injured patients and will use all of the resources it takes to obtain justice for our clients.
Please visit our Jacksonville Medical Malpractice Website for more info.
Our personal promise: Accident victims have specific rights, but by law you have a limited time to take action. When you use our team at Farah & Farah, there are NO up-front charges.
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Our fee is a percentage of the money awarded payable only when your case is successfully concluded. No matter how many times you call and how long we talk, there is NO CHARGE or cost until your case settles. Do not sign any releases, agreements or give any statements until you have spoken with us about your legal rights. When it comes to getting you more, we won't settle for less!
We personally promise that you will be treated with the respect and dignity you deserve. We promise to keep you up to date and informed as to developments in your case. Your case is important to us, regardless of size.
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