-
If a patient leaves your emergency department (ED) before the results of any test ordered by the emergency physician (EP) are back, the EP still has an ethical and legal responsibility to the patient to utilize those results in directing their care, unless the EP has passed that patients care on in a very clear manner, according to Robert Suter, DO, MHA, professor of emergency medicine at University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX.
-
Some EDs are charging uninsured patients upfront fees for problems deemed nonemergent, with 88% of EDs reporting an increase in the number of self-pay patients seen in 2012, according to the Healthcare Financial Management Association.
-
Recent mass shootings have resulted in psychiatrists being sued for failing to prevent one of their patients from harming others. Could the same thing soon occur with emergency physicians (EPs)?
-
All right, so technically Im responsible ... or Well, OK, I may be legally responsible, but ... These comments are common responses by emergency physicians (EPs) named in lawsuits involving mistakes made by physician assistants (PAs) or nurse practitioners (NPs) theyre supervising, says David W. Spicer, JD, a health care attorney in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.
-
Case could turn on whether efforts are documented.
-
Joint Commission rules could come up during malpractice suits
-
Increased liability risks are top of mind for many emergency physicians (EPs) due to the possibility of increased volumes under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
-
Plaintiffs cant argue with time-stamped entries.
-
Patients signature can help defense only to a point.
-