The Florida Patient’s Compensation Fund is a state-sponsored fund that operates similar to an excess insurance policy for doctors and hospitals. That is, if you get a jury verdict bigger than the insurance policy limits of the doctor or hospital that caused your injury, then the excess will be paid by the Florida Patient’s Compensation Fund.
Most hospitals are obligated to make annual payments into the fund. Any jury verdict above what the Florida Patient’s Compensation Fund will pay must be paid by the doctor or hospital that caused your injury. Additionally, the doctor or hospital whose malpractice or negligence caused your injury will have to pay any punitive damages that are awarded to you – as the Florida Patient’s Compensation Fund will not pay for punitive damages.