ED Legal Letter – February 1, 2007

February 1, 2007

• Halting Inappropriate Expert Witness Testimony — Part II: Efforts of State Medical Boards and State Medical Societies to Police 'Experts'

  This month we will address attempts by State Medical Boards to use their licensure powers to censure or fine physicians, suspend their medical license, or outright revoke their ability to practice medicine for providing unprofessional testimony.

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• Frequent ED visitors = High risk of EMTALA violations

  If an ED physician refuses to examine and treat a patient suspected of "drug seeking," this is an automatic violation of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA).

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• Reduce risks with credentialing for rare, high-risk ED procedures

  Credentialing requirements for specific numbers of procedures performed may be suitable for most hospital units, but these may be difficult or impossible to meet in the ED.

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• Special Report: Psychiatric Emergencies: A Medical-Legal Minefield

  There is no area of Emergency Medicine that incorporates as many associated unique legal issues as that of psychiatric emergencies.

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