ED Legal Letter – August 1, 2017
August 1, 2017
View Issues
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Missed Spinal Epidural Abscess: ‘Lightning Rod for Litigation’
In these cases, EPs are the second most commonly sued physicians.
-
Study: Individual EPs Rarely Fined for EMTALA Violations
Almost all civil monetary penalties are against facilities.