For over 50 years, the 199-bed facility Villa Maria Nursing Center has been servicing residents in North Miami. Their specific location is at 1050 NE 125th St, North Miami, FL 33161 in Miami-Dade County. The recognitions they have received include personalized attention, medical excellence, and leader in quality care. They offer a 24-hour care in long-term, sub-acute, skilled nursing, and an advanced orthopedic wing. They offer their residents comfortable accommodations, semi-private rooms, and private rooms. In addition, they also have St. Catherine’s Rehabilitation Hospital located on premises which provides residents with additional clinical benefits.
With all of these features and luxuries, Villa Maria Nursing Center would seem to be the ideal location to place our loved ones in, but as experienced medical malpractice lawyers in Miami, FL, we know that even the medical facility that seems to be the best, can sometimes turn out to be the worst decision made. Residents are often left in the face of medical negligence which results in a case for medical malpractice. Due to their weakened immune system and possibly old age, one small medical error committed towards a resident can end in severe consequences like permanent injury and even death. Villa Maria Nursing Center offers these following services where a medical malpractice lawsuit can take place:
Their medical services and areas of expertise include:
- Total Knee/Total Hip Replacement
- Intra-venous Nutrition
- Hydration Program
- Antibiotic therapy
- Wound Care
- Post CABG (Coronary artery bypass graft/open heart surgery)
- Central Line/Port Maintenance
- Continuous Passive Motion Machine
- G-Tube Feeding
- Ileostomy
- J-Tube
- Bi-Pap/C-Pap (Positive Airway Pressure)
- Anti-coagulant monitoring
- VRE, MRSA, C-Diff (serious infection management)
- Tracheostomy care
Their home health services include:
- Skilled Nursing
- Physical Therapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Speech Therapy
- Medical Social Services
- Home Health Aide for Personal Care Assistance
Their assisted living services include:
- Three meals per day, served in a restaurant-like setting, with menus and daily snacks
- 24-hour supervision
- Personal care assistance (bathing, dressing, grooming, eating)
- Housekeeping and laundry
- Transportation to Publix and Wal-Mart
- Minor medical supervision, such as assistance with medication
- Security and emergency call systems
- Health and exercise programs
- Social, cultural and educational activities
- Exercise rooms
- Outdoor gardens
- Library and game room
- Chapel
- Special outings
- Social services
Additional services that are not included in hospitals can be viewed in nursing homes, unlike a regular hospital, despite nursing homes having medical professionals to treat residents. Residents often come into nursing homes with a plan of care already assigned by their doctor. Nursing home facilities are supposed to follow this plan accordingly and react to any complications that they acquire with the resident. If the nursing staff at the facility provides substandard medical care, the resident can be severely injured. Medical malpractice is a complex subject that requires clarification for many.
Basics Involved with Medical Malpractice
As previously mentioned, medical malpractice is a difficult notion to grasp. Best medical malpractice attorneys in Miami, FL understand how critical it is for a victim of medical malpractice to fully understand every detail involved within this subject. This is the basics of what needs to happen in order to demonstrate that medical malpractice took place:
- Relationship between doctor and patient existed: If you plan on suing a doctor for medical malpractice, a relationship must have existed between you two. In other words, did you hire the doctor to care for you? And did the doctor agree to provide you with treatment? For example, let’s say you overheard a doctor speaking to another patient, or you read a blog posted online by a doctor providing some advice for a condition you believe that you have. You follow it, and you suffer injuries. You cannot sue that doctor that offered that advice because they didn’t agree to specifically treat you.
- Negligence performed by the physician: Negligence must have been present in connection with the treatment, care, or diagnosis that you received. If your results were not what you were expecting, or you are unsatisfied, that does not mean you can pursue a medical malpractice lawsuit. He/she must have provided substandard care that will be determined by a medical expert.
- Your injury was caused by their negligence: Due to the fact that various patients already come seeking medical aid because they are sick or injured, whether the physician caused your injuries is a constant battle amongst the plaintiff and defendant. The plaintiff must indicate how “it was more likely than not” that the physician’s negligence was what directly led to their injury.
- Your injury resulted in substantial damages: If no harm came to the patient, no medical malpractice lawsuit could be filed despite negligence having been present. You must have obtained damages in order to recover for them.
What Damages Exist if my Loved One Was Injured in a Nursing Home?
Residents in nursing homes can endure damages by a number of causes including negligence, intentional actions, and medical malpractice. With every personal injury lawsuit, there are recoverable damages that the victim can request. The most common damages that you can be compensated for include:
- Loss earning capacity
- Mental anguish
- Medical expenses
- Physical pain
- Loss of consortium
- Funeral costs; and
- More
The type of damages and amount that you will recover depends entirely on the medical negligence that was committed and the extent of your damages. The only concrete number that can be provided to you will be the specific damages that you suffered. General damages will be determined by the courts.
Nursing Home Medical Malpractice Scenarios
A resident can be placed in numerous different medical malpractice moments that can result in a lawsuit. When medical providers commit medical negligence, anything is possible. These are some common situations that can arise at the Villa Maria Nursing Center which can result in a medical malpractice lawsuit:
- Medication mistake medical malpractice lawsuit: Errors with medications injure an estimated 1.4 million people each year. Residents in nursing homes rely on nurses to provide them with the medication that they need. Some residents are unable to fend for themselves and completely need the assistance of the medical staff to provide them with their medication. If negligence is committed with their medication like a mix-up prior to administration, or injecting the medication on the wrong site, the resident could obtain serious injuries.
- Improper use of equipment medical malpractice lawsuit: There are various medical equipment’s like EKGs, blood pressure monitors, needles, and so on, that medical professionals use to treat, care and diagnose a condition that a patient has. If any of these medical equipments are not used properly, the resident can suffer injuries. For example, feeding tubes are used in about 50% of residents in nursing homes. These tubes must be properly installed and sanitized, if not, the resident can become infected with serious medical ailments like pneumonia.
- Incompetent wound care medical malpractice lawsuit: When a resident obtains a wound, proper action must be taken to prevent any infection from forming. Residents often do not have strong immune systems, and any little wound they acquire can even turn out to be sepsis. In addition, pressure sores must be prevented because that wound can lead to serious life-threatening damages for the resident, particularly if the pressure sore is stage four or five.
Becoming educated on the possible ways that medical malpractice can happen to your loved one is an essential aspect in protecting them in the long run. Filing a medical malpractice lawsuit requires many elements that only a Miami, FL professional medical malpractice attorney can fulfill for you.
Legal Actions Taken Against Villa Maria Nursing Center
Below are some legal actions taken against this center:
| Date Initiated | Case # | Case Type | Violation | Fine Amount | Date Imposed |
| 10/17/2017 | 2017012352 | Rule Variance/Waiver | Administrative Rule | N/A | 11/17/2017 |
| 06/16/2005 | 2005005116 | Fine | Application | $3,750.00 | 09/21/2005 |
| 09/03/2004 | 2004010118 | Conditional License | Survey | N/A | 08/19/2004 |
| 09/02/2004 | 2004008633 | Fine | Survey | $2,500.00 | 08/25/2006 |
*Info provided by Floridahealthfinder
Nursing home Facts, Statistics
- Bleeding in the brain and fractures are the common injuries obtained in nursing home facilities
- An estimated 100 to 200 falls occur each year at nursing homes carrying 100 bed-capacities
- About one in eight residents will suffer from a pressure sore
- Citations for failure to meet standard of care was given to 20% of nursing homes across the US for bedsores
- Health deficiency citations were given to 6.7% of nursing homes across the United States in the year 2009
Attorneys for Medical Malpractice at Villa Maria Nursing Center
Has medical negligence taken place while your loved one was at Villa Maria Nursing Center? Did the incompetence of the medical staff lead to your loved one’s death or injuries? Are they currently in pain both physically and mentally? Do you want justice? Percy Martinez Law Firm in Miami, FL has competent medical malpractice lawyers ready to fight for their clients. You may have lost everything; you might not be able to live a normal life now. What happens next? File a lawsuit for medical malpractice with the legal representation of one of our skilled lawyers. We are here to guide our clients the right way and make them feel some sense of normalcy again. Justice must be a priority after becoming a victim of medical malpractice. You will need the compensation to pay for all the expenses that will come from the medical malpractice.
References:
https://www.catholichealthservices.org/villa-maria-nursing-center/
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/medical-malpractice-basics-29855.html
http://www.alllaw.com/articles/nolo/personal-injury/special-general-damages.html
http://www.floridahealthfinder.gov/facilitylocator/FacilityProfilePage.aspx?id=28422
https://www.edgarsnyder.com/nursing-home-abuse/nursing-home-abuse-statistics.html