We place a lot of trust in medical professionals to use the proper amount of care in diagnosing and treating us when we’re hurt or sick. Unfortunately, not all healthcare providers live up to these expectations, which can place patients at risk of serious injury or even death. The widespread nature of the medical malpractice problem in Florida came to light recently, when, late last year, more than a dozen surgeons at HCA Florida Bayonet Point Hospital, expressed their concerns about patient safety at the facility, citing the use of unsanitary surgical instruments, a lack of proper monitoring of ICU patients, and anesthesiology errors among other issues. According to the complaints, these problems have led to a number of near-misses, in which a patient nearly lost his or her life, as well as the actual deaths of many other patients over the last two years.
What We Know About HCA Florida Bayonet Point Hospital
HCA Florida Bayonet Point Hospital is a 290-bed acute care facility in Hudson, Florida that is owned by HCA Healthcare Inc. HCA Healthcare Inc. is the nation’s largest hospital company, operating 182 hospitals and 125 surgery centers in the U.S. and the U.K. The company is very profitable, earning more than $5.6 billion in 2022 alone. The company recently came under fire, however, for the conditions at one of its hospitals, where critics state that the focus on profits has resulted in staff layoffs and the hiring of less qualified and experienced contractor workers, as well as a failure to replace and repair damaged and outdated equipment. These claims are backed up by the numbers, with most of HCA Florida facilities rated below average by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency responsible for monitoring Medicare and Medicaid healthcare providers. State regulators also filed complaints about the patient care at Bayonet Point at least twice in the last two years.
Health and Safety Concerns at HCA Florida Bayonet Point Hospital
Late last year, many doctors and surgeons began raising concerns about the conditions at HCA Florida Bayonet Point Hospital, where they reported:
- The use of unsanitary instruments during surgical procedures;
- Anesthetizing the wrong parts of patients’ bodies prior to surgery;
- Inadequate monitoring of patients in the ICU;
- Unsanitary conditions, including leaks in recovery rooms, oxygen equipment held together with tape, backed up sinks, dangling wires, and even pests in the operating rooms;
- An unequal nurse-to-patient staffing ratio in the Emergency Department, leading to a lack of oversight and monitoring; and
- Anesthesiology errors that led to patients waking up in the middle of surgical procedures.
The doctors asserted that the hospital is failing to provide a safe environment in which to perform surgery and that it is in fact, a dangerous place to practice. Despite the unanimous agreement amongst the surgeons and doctors at the hospital, these concerns went unaddressed by the hospital health administrator to whom they were made.
Filing a Medical Malpractice Claim Against HCA Florida
Medical professionals are required to provide patients with a certain level of care, ensuring that nurses and doctors are qualified, licensed, and trained, keeping their premises and equipment sterilized and safe, and making sure that there are enough nurses to adequately monitor and provide care to patients. Unfortunately, whether due to a lack of oversight or to cost cutting measures, many hospitals don’t provide the type of care that they are required to under state and federal law. When this leads to a patient’s further injury or death, the hospital could be held liable for medical malpractice. If you or a loved one received subpar care at HCA Florida Bayonet Point Hospital, or another hospital operated by HCA Healthcare Inc., you could be entitled to compensation for their failure to provide you with proper medical care, including reimbursement for your medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Call us today to learn more about filing a medical malpractice claim in Florida.
Experienced and Compassionate Miami Medical Malpractice Lawyers
At Dolan Dobrinsky Rosenblum Bluestein, our team of dedicated attorneys and support staff have the resources and experience to conduct a thorough investigation into your medical malpractice claim and if possible, to help you pursue compensation for your injuries. To set up a free evaluation of your own case, call our Miami office at 786-756-7537 or fill out one of our online contact forms. We help medical malpractice victims not only in Miami, but throughout south and central Florida.