Medical malpractice is rampant throughout the State of Florida. What makes matters worse is that the State of Florida does not require doctors and other medical to carry medical malpractice insurance. Consequently, most doctors and medical providers “go bare,” meaning that they do not carry malpractice insurance. These doctors believe that medical malpractice victims will not sue them once they learn that they do not have malpractice insurance coverage. Moreover, these doctors who “go bare” avoid paying costly annual medical malpractice premiums to insurance companies.
If you or a loved one suffered a personal injury due to the negligence of a doctor or other type of medical provider in the State of Florida, it is best to consult with an experienced medical malpractice attorney. Many medical malpractice attorneys in Florida will not represent clients against uninsured doctors or medical providers.
The Florida Department of Health maintains a database of every single licensed healthcare professional in the State of Florida.
What Information Does the Florida Department of Health Provide about Doctors?
The Department of Health’s website providers the public with very detailed information about every healthcare professional. Some of the more useful information includes:
- The doctor’s License Information
- Whether the doctor has been disciplined in the past
- Whether the doctor has received public complaints in the past
- Whether the doctor has a criminal background
- Whether the doctor has malpractice insurance
How to Check Whether a Doctor Has Malpractice Insurance
To find out whether a specific doctor or healthcare professional carries malpractice insurance, you can visit the Florida Department of Health’s license verification page at: https://mqa-internet.doh.state.fl.us/MQASearchServices/HealthCareProviders.
The easiest way to search is by entering the doctor’s first and last name into the appropriate fields and selecting search. The website will direct you to the doctor’s public profile, which is depicted below. This page provides an overview of all the publicly available information.
At this page, you can click on the practitioner profile (depicted in the green tab above). The practitioner profile provides additional detailed information about the doctor. If you select the financial responsibility tab in the practitioner’s profile, you will be provided with a brief statement summarizing the doctor or medical provider’s malpractice insurance coverage as shown below:
In the example depicted in the photograph above, you can see that the doctor carries a minimum of $100,000.00 in malpractice insurance. As discussed above, many doctors and medical providers in Florida do not carry medical malpractice insurance. If the doctor you are searching does not have malpractice insurance, the financial responsibility section of their profile will read:
“I have elected not to carry medical malpractice insurance however, I agree to satisfy any adverse judgments up to the minimum amounts pursuant to s. 458.320(5) (g)1, F. S. I understand that I must either post notice in a sign prominently displayed in my reception area or provide a written statement to any person to whom medical services are being provided that I have decided not to carry medical malpractice insurance. I understand that such a sign or notice must contain the wording specified in s. 458.320(5) (g), F.S.”
Call Prosper Shaked Accident Injury Attorneys Today
If you or a loved one suffered an injury due to the negligence of a doctor or other healthcare professional, call Prosper Shaked Accident Injury Attorneys PA for a free and confidential consultation with medical malpractice attorney Prosper Shaked.