Presuit notice; investigation; notification of violation of resident’s rights or alleged negligence; claims evaluation procedure; informal discovery; review; settlement offer; mediation.

(1) As used in this section, the term:

(a) “Claim for resident’s rights violation or negligence” means a negligence claim alleging injury to or the death of a resident arising out of an asserted violation of the rights of a resident under s. 400.022 or an asserted deviation from the applicable standard of care.

(b) “Insurer” means any self-insurer authorized under s. 627.357, liability insurance carrier, joint underwriting association, or uninsured prospective defendant.

(2) Prior to filing a claim for a violation of a resident’s rights or a claim for negligence, a claimant alleging injury to or the death of a resident shall notify each prospective defendant by certified mail, return receipt requested, of an asserted violation of a resident’s rights provided in s. 400.022 or deviation from the standard of care. Such notification shall include an identification of the rights the prospective defendant has violated and the negligence alleged to have caused the incident or incidents and a brief description of the injuries sustained by the resident which are reasonably identifiable at the time of notice. The notice shall contain a certificate of counsel that counsel’s reasonable investigation gave rise to a good faith belief that grounds exist for an action against each prospective defendant.

(3)(a) No suit may be filed for a period of 75 days after notice is mailed to any prospective defendant. During the 75-day period, the prospective defendants or their insurers shall conduct an evaluation of the claim to determine the liability of each defendant and to evaluate the damages of the claimants. Each defendant or insurer of the defendant shall have a procedure for the prompt evaluation of claims during the 75-day period. The procedure shall include one or more of the following:

1. Internal review by a duly qualified facility risk manager or claims adjuster;

2. Internal review by counsel for each prospective defendant;

3. A quality assurance committee authorized under any applicable state or federal statutes or regulations; or

4. Any other similar procedure that fairly and promptly evaluates the claims.

Each defendant or insurer of the defendant shall evaluate the claim in good faith.

(b) At or before the end of the 75 days, the defendant or insurer of the defendant shall provide the claimant with a written response:

1. Rejecting the claim; or

2. Making a settlement offer.

(c) The response shall be delivered to the claimant if not represented by counsel or to the claimant’s attorney, by certified mail, return receipt requested. Failure of the prospective defendant or insurer of the defendant to reply to the notice within 75 days after receipt shall be deemed a rejection of the claim for purposes of this section.