Orlando Patient Rights Abuse Lawyer

When you seek care from a medical facility, you place an immense amount of trust in the hands of others. You are often at your most vulnerable, expecting a safe environment and respectful treatment. The law recognizes this and provides a set of rights to protect every patient.

When a hospital, clinic, or nursing home in Florida violates these rights and you or a loved one suffers a serious injury as a result, the trust is broken, and the consequences can be devastating. This is more than just poor customer service; it can be a form of negligence that demands accountability.

If you have been harmed because a healthcare facility failed to uphold its duties, an Orlando patient rights abuse lawyer at Spetsas Buist is here to help you understand your options and fight for the justice you deserve.

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Key Takeaways about Orlando Patient Rights Abuse Claims

• Patients in Florida are protected by a specific law known as the Patient's Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, which outlines their right to respectful care, privacy, safety, and information.
• A violation of patient rights can become a personal injury claim when the facility's failure to uphold these rights directly leads to a physical injury or wrongful death.
• Examples of such claims can include injuries from falls due to unsafe conditions, harm from poorly maintained equipment, or inadequate care.
• Holding a healthcare facility accountable involves a legal process to demonstrate negligence and prove that the breach of duty caused quantifiable damages.
• Individuals who have been injured may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering caused by the facility's negligence.

Why Choose Spetsas Buist for Your Orlando Patient Rights Abuse Case?

When you’re facing the aftermath of an injury that happened in a place you were supposed to be safe, you need an advocate who understands the fight ahead. At Spetsas Buist, we don’t just handle cases; we build relationships with the people we serve. We know that to tell your story effectively, we have to know your story first.

Our approach is built on a foundation of unique experience and unwavering dedication:

• We Know Their Playbook: Our attorneys previously represented insurance companies and large corporations. We have firsthand knowledge of their tactics and strategies, giving us an invaluable perspective when fighting for your compensation.
• Direct Access to Your Attorney: You will have your lawyer’s direct cell phone number and email. We eliminated the call centers and go-betweens so you can get answers when you need them from the person actually handling your case.
• Ready for Trial: We are not a “settlement mill” that avoids the courtroom. We prepare every case as if it’s going to trial. This readiness shows insurance companies we are serious and won’t back down from a fight to get you what you’re entitled to.

We founded our firm on the principle that people deserve personal, attentive, and aggressive legal representation. From our office across from Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando, we are committed to being the advocates our clients can count on during their most difficult times.

Understanding Your Rights as a Patient in Florida

In Florida, your rights as a patient are not just a courtesy; they are codified in the law. The Florida Patient's Bill of Rights and Responsibilities establishes a clear set of expectations for healthcare providers and facilities. Knowing these rights is the first step toward recognizing when they have been violated.

While the full statute is detailed, some of the fundamental rights you are guaranteed include:

• The Right to Respectful Care: You must be treated with courtesy and respect, with recognition of your individual dignity.
• The Right to Privacy: Your personal and medical records are confidential and must be protected. You have a right to be interviewed and examined in surroundings designed to assure reasonable privacy.
• The Right to a Safe Environment: Healthcare facilities have a duty to provide a safe and secure setting for patients and visitors.
• The Right to Information and Informed Consent: You have the right to receive clear, understandable information about your diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Before any non-emergency procedure, you must be given the information needed to give informed consent, which means you understand the potential benefits and risks.
• The Right to Refuse Treatment: You have the right to refuse any medical treatment, to the extent permitted by law.

These rights are the bedrock of the trust you place in a healthcare provider. When a facility neglects these duties, it can create dangerous situations that lead to preventable harm.

Of course. Combining and refining those sections is an excellent idea to improve the flow and eliminate redundancy. Here is a revised, consolidated section that merges the key points into a more cohesive and impactful narrative.

How a Patient Rights Violation Can Lead to a Serious Injury Claim

A frustrating experience or disrespectful treatment at a hospital or nursing home, while upsetting, may not be grounds for a lawsuit. However, the situation changes dramatically when a facility's violation of your fundamental rights—particularly your right to a safe environment—directly causes a physical injury. At that point, the issue crosses the line into negligence, and you may have a valid personal injury or wrongful death claim.

These cases are not always about a doctor's medical decisions. More often, they are about the facility's failure to uphold its basic duties of safety, care, and supervision. This type of negligence can fall under established legal principles like premises liability (the duty to maintain safe property), negligent security (the duty to protect people from foreseeable harm), and inadequate supervision.

These are not abstract legal ideas; they happen in real-world scenarios every day in hospitals and long-term care facilities across Florida. Some common examples of how a patient rights violation leads to a preventable injury include:

• Fall-Related Injuries: In a hospital, a post-surgery patient is left without bed rails up. In a nursing home, a resident identified as a high fall risk has their repeated calls for help to use the restroom ignored due to short staffing. This neglect can lead to a devastating fall, causing broken hips, traumatic brain injuries, or other serious harm.
• Harm from Unsafe Conditions or Equipment: A patient might be injured by a malfunctioning hospital bed, a broken wheelchair, a poorly maintained patient lift in a nursing home, or by slipping on a freshly mopped floor that has no warning sign. These incidents hold the facility accountable for maintaining a reasonably safe environment.
• Negligent Security and Inadequate Supervision: This goes beyond a poorly lit hospital parking garage. In a long-term care setting, it can mean a failure to protect a vulnerable resident from an assault by another resident. It can also mean a lack of proper monitoring that allows a resident with dementia to wander off the property (elope), exposing them to traffic, harsh weather, or other dangers.
• Improper Patient Handling: During a transfer from a bed to a gurney or into a wheelchair, a patient might be dropped due to chronic understaffing, a lack of proper training, or the absence of the right lifting equipment. This can result in fractures, spinal cord damage, or internal injuries in any healthcare setting.

These examples illustrate that an injury is often not the result of a complex medical decision but a fundamental failure in safety and care. Sadly, these incidents are far too common. According to the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), tens of thousands of patients are harmed each year by preventable safety issues in hospitals, highlighting the critical need for accountability.

How an Orlando Patient Rights Abuse Lawyer Can Help You

After an injury caused by a violation of your patient rights, you should be focused on your recovery, not on fighting with a hospital's risk management department or its insurance company. That’s where we come in. Our job is to lift that burden from your shoulders and tell your story to demand accountability.

When you work with Spetsas Buist, we take a thorough and aggressive approach to building your case.

1. Investigating the Incident: We will immediately begin a comprehensive investigation. This involves gathering all relevant medical records, facility incident reports, and maintenance logs. We may interview staff, other patients, and your family members to get a complete picture of what happened.
2. Determining Liability: Identifying the responsible party is key. Was the negligence on the part of a hospital employee, a third-party contractor responsible for cleaning, or the corporate entity itself for failing to implement proper safety policies? We dig deep to uncover who is at fault.
3. Calculating Your Damages: An injury can impact every aspect of your life. We work to identify all of your losses, including current and future medical bills, lost wages if you are unable to work, and the non-economic costs of your pain, suffering, and emotional distress.
4. Fighting the Insurance Companies: Hospitals and their insurance carriers are powerful entities with teams of lawyers. They know us because we used to be on their side. We use that inside knowledge to counter their tactics, negotiate forcefully, and, if they refuse to offer a fair settlement, take them to court.

Our entire process is designed to give you peace of mind and the confidence that a dedicated legal team is fighting for you like family every step of the way.

What to Do If You Believe Your Rights or the Rights of a Loved One Were Violated and You Were Harmed

After you have been discharged and are safely back home, the confusion and frustration about what happened can be overwhelming. It is crucial to take a few steps to protect your ability to seek compensation later on.

First, document everything you can remember.

• Write down a detailed timeline of events leading up to your injury. Include dates, times, and the names of any staff you interacted with.
• If you have any visible injuries, like bruises or cuts, take clear photographs of them.
• Keep all paperwork the facility gave you, including discharge papers, bills, and any informational pamphlets.

Second, be very careful when speaking with representatives from the facility. After an incident, a risk manager or an insurance adjuster for the hospital will likely call you. Their job is to minimize the hospital's financial liability. You are not obligated to give them a recorded statement, and it is wise not to do so before speaking with a lawyer.

Finally, act promptly. In Florida, you have a limited time to file a lawsuit for personal injury. The statute of limitations for most negligence cases in Florida is two years from the date of the injury. While there are some exceptions, waiting too long can mean losing your right to seek justice forever. Contacting an Orlando patient rights abuse lawyer as soon as possible ensures that critical evidence is preserved and your case is filed on time.

Orlando Patient Rights Abuse FAQ

Here are answers to some common questions we hear from people who have been injured in a healthcare setting.

When You Can’t Afford to Be Ignored, We Are Here to Fight for You

Being injured in a place you trusted for care is a profound betrayal. At Spetsas Buist, we understand that you need more than just a lawyer; you need a dedicated partner who will listen to your story, stand up to powerful institutions, and fight tirelessly for the accountability you and your family deserve. We believe that being good to people is the best way to do business, and we are committed to providing you with the direct, personal, and aggressive representation you need to get through this.

If you or a loved one was seriously injured in a healthcare facility in Orlando, or anywhere in Florida, please do not hesitate to reach out. Contact our law firm today at (321) 529-7848 or through our online form for a free, no-obligation consultation. When you call us, you will speak directly with an attorney who can help you understand your rights and options.