ED Legal Letter – March 1, 2011
March 1, 2011
View Issues
-
Any of Your Online Postings Could Be 'Exhibit A' in Malpractice Trial
A lawsuit involving a terrible outcome, but good emergency department (ED) care, seemed "very defensible" to Matthew Rice, MD, JD, FACEP, former senior vice president and chief medical officer at Northwest Emergency Physicians of TEAMHealth in Federal Way, WA. Rice was about to recommend that the hospital vigorously defend the case, but it never got to that point. -
Patients, Others May ID Themselves in Your Posts
Online posts often contain more data than were really intended, says Michael Blaivas, MD, RDMS, professor of emergency medicine in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Northside Hospital Forsyth in Cumming, GA, and patients may be able to pick themselves out. -
Online Postings Give Opposing Counsel Edge
Today, it is standard practice for attorneys to do an Internet search on any adverse party and witness, according to Robert D. Kreisman, a medical malpractice attorney with Kreisman Law Offices in Chicago. -
Ambulance Diversion: Solution or Problem?
As ED overcrowding becomes more widespread, the companion problem of ambulance diversion becomes increasingly acute at EDs across the nation. -
Your ED Patient Should Have Been Transferred, But Wasn't?
If there was the potential for a better outcome if a patient was transferred, and the patient was harmed and can show that you breached the standard of care, a successful lawsuit could result, says Michael Blaivas, MD, RDMS, professor of emergency medicine in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Northside Hospital Forsyth in Cumming, GA. -
ED Not a Stroke Center? Patient May Sue for Failure to Transfer
With some hospitals being designated as demonstrating excellence in the care of stroke patients, does this mean a patient can successfully sue the ED if he or she is not treated at one of those facilities?