The public expects doctors to meet the minimum standard of care that applies to their area of practice. When a doctor fails to meet that standard due to negligence, injured patients may be able to sue for medical malpractice.
That prospect may be in the offing as a result of reports recently out of Tampa. Media reports indicate that a local liposuction doctor at the JYB Medical and Weight Clinics is under investigation as a result of patient complaints.. One woman who is speaking out claims she developed blisters and an infection within hours of a liposuction procedure performed by the doctor in question. She claims the clinic told her she did not need additional care for the infection, but when she went to her primary care physician, she was immediately sent to St. Joseph’s Hospital. She is now burdened with unsightly scars across her body that she says resulted when clinic doctors cut away tissue to get to the infection.
A lawsuit has been filed against the doctor, claiming that he failed to properly evaluate her. The lawsuit claims that the doctor took out too much fat tissue, allowed assistants who were not physicians to perform parts of the surgery and failed to give antibiotics during the procedure. The lawsuit also claims that the doctor intentionally destroyed the plaintiff’s medical records in violation of state law.
The doctor who performed the liposuction is a board certified general practitioner but not board certified in cosmetic surgery. A Florida Department of Health administrative complaint filed by a patient in 2009 also claimed the doctor allowed his assistants to do part of the procedure and failed to record appropriate patient history. The doctor’s license was suspended for a year. Currently, the doctor is on probation and not allowed to do cosmetic surgery.
When a doctor’s negligence results in unexpected injury, victims are entitled to compensation for pain, suffering and more. Victims of medical malpractice needs to be fully aware of their legal rights and alternatives by consulting with an attorney.
Source: WTSP-TV, “10 News Investigators: Patients accuse doc of bad liposuction,” Mike Deeson, Oct. 1, 2012
