Few doctors face punishment for medical malpractice lawsuits

When you visit a doctor, you expect to see someone who has a clean professional record and is going to take the necessary precautions when providing treatment.

Many health care professionals take care to provide a safe experience. However, others are putting their patients’ lives at risk with negligent behavior. Even worse, the state of Florida is doing little to punish doctors sued for medical malpractice.

Negligent doctors are not being punished

State law requires the Department of Health to review all malpractice lawsuits filed against doctors in Florida. This regulation was implemented to help identify doctors who were negligent and to ensure appropriate punishments are meted out.

However, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, officials at the Department of Health have not been taking action against the vast majority of doctors who faced medical malpractice lawsuits.

Over the last 10 years, there have been approximately 24,000 resolved state and federal medical malpractice lawsuits. Yet regulators took action in only 128 instances. This works out to a punishment rate of only .53 percent.

A representative said officials do not take action against doctors who face malpractice suits with payouts of less than $50,000. They also refrain from taking action in cases that are too old to face prosecution. These types of cases account for approximately 70 percent of medical malpractice lawsuits filed in the state.

It is clear that as long as this many doctors are free from punishment from regulators that medical malpractice will continue to be an issue in Florida. If you suffer due to the negligence of a medical professional, you have rights under the law to receive full compensation for your injuries.