Do I have any recourse to sue an incompetent doctor in Florida?!
Question:
Do I have any recourse to sue an incompetent doctor in Florida?
Podiatrist left a stitch in and caused a MRSA infection after elective bunion surgery. He tried to treat the infection himself instead of referring me to ID doctor. Now have an open wound and loads of doctor bills. Cannot sue for malpractice. Was told that such negligence is not grounds for this type of suit. Do I have any recourse at all to get my medical expenses paid by this doctor?
Answers:
To the best of my knowledge, you have no grounds to sue for anything other than malpractice. A podiatrist can't refer you to anyone, that has to be done by your primary care doctor. If the podiatrist wasn't doing what you wanted you didn't have to go back, you could have gone to another doctor on your own. Can you sue for negligence? Ultimately, I think the fact that it was elective surgery hurts your case because you consented to the risk of infection when you opted for surgery. Sorry.