ED Legal Letter – August 1, 2017

August 1, 2017

• Patient Could Allege Opioids Given by EP Sparked Addiction

  Experts say that as time passes, EPs should increasingly expect to be included as potential targets of malpractice claims alleging that opioids were prescribed without adequate indication or in excessive amounts.

  Read more

• Test Ordered in ED, but Patient Discharged or Admitted?

  The EP can be held liable for failure to "close the loop” on non-emergent abnormal findings. The hospital can be held liable for not instituting a reconciliation process to flag discrepancies between the EP’s readings and those of the radiologist.

  Read more

• Some Plaintiffs Face Higher Burden of Proof

  Two Texas physicians weigh in on how tort reform, in their view, has affected the practice of emergency medicine and malpractice litigation in their state.

  Read more

• Missed Spinal Epidural Abscess: ‘Lightning Rod for Litigation’

  In these cases, EPs are the second most commonly sued physicians.

  Read more

• Study: Individual EPs Rarely Fined for EMTALA Violations

  Almost all civil monetary penalties are against facilities.

  Read more