Emergency Medicine General
RSSArticles
-
Poor Systems for ED "Bounceback" Patients Can Result in Suits
Patients who present to the emergency department (ED) more than once in a short amount of time for the same complaint or symptoms present some unique liability risks for emergency physicians (EPs), warns Kathleen Shostek, RN, ARM, CPHRM, senior consultant in the healthcare risk management and patient safety division of Sedgwick, a Memphis-based third party administrator for professional liability claims. -
Possible Malpractice Suit? Contacting the Right Person Can Make Claim More Defensible
Is malpractice litigation a real possibility due to an error made in the emergency department (ED) that harmed a patient? -
Can Patients Successfully Sue if Exposed to Ebola in ED Waiting Room?
An Ebola patient presents to an emergency department (ED) and is either misdiagnosed and discharged or is not appropriately isolated and infects others. What is the liability risk for the emergency physician (EP)? -
Do Hospitals Have an Obligation to Check the Patient’s Insurance Status Before Transfer From the ED?
In a fascinating case that raises more questions than provides answers, a Louisiana appellate court grappled with the issue of whether the Louisiana Medicaid program was required to pay for the out-of-state inpatient care provided to its Medicaid enrollee in Georgia after transfer from a Louisiana hospital emergency department. -
Side Effects of Opioids
More than 40% of ED visits are related to pain.1 The Joint Commission has made the assessment and treatment of pain in the ED one of its standards.2 The use of opioid medications has been increasing in both adults and children.3-5 In 2009 there were more than 200 million prescriptions for opioid medications, with enough medication dispensed to supply every adult in the United States with the equivalent of 5 mg of hydrocodone every four hours for one month.
-
These Suits Against EPs Became Indefensible: Medical Records Were Altered
In a case related to the alleged delay in providing care to a patient, an emergency physician (EP) was accused of altering the time that he ordered certain treatments for the patient. -
Social Media Can Lead to Suits Against EP for Malpractice, Civil Defamation
In 2013, an emergency department (ED) director was terminated after commenting on a patients photo, which had been posted on Facebook by an ED nurse.1 In a similar case the same year, an emergency physician (EP) was sued after posting a photo of an intoxicated patient that included comments. -
Classic Heavy Hitters: Tricky Diagnoses That Recurrently Lead to Large Malpractice Payouts
Certain diagnoses have recurrently and consistently been the bane of emergency department (ED) physicians, with regard to malpractice payouts year after year. They continue to be missed, and lead to some of the larger awards. Below we present several recent typical cases to raise awareness and avoid liability. -
EMTALA Lawsuits Involving Psychiatric Patients Held in ED Rarely Successful
The risk of an Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA) lawsuit involving a patient with psychiatric illness is low, according to a recent study.1 If emergency physicians (EPs) perform appropriate medical screening examinations, the lawsuit is rarely successful. -
The Photosensitive Patient
A 65-year-old female presents to the emergency department with a chief complaint of a severe rash. The rash has been present for two weeks on her arms, neck, and scalp. It began while she was sitting on her porch one afternoon. She denies any associated fevers, chills, headache, or muscle ache. She denies any exposure to pets, new soaps, detergents, or lotions, and she denies recent travel.