ED Legal Letter – September 1, 2009
September 1, 2009
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Identify and Manage Drug-seeking Patients in the Emergency Department
The issue of drug-seeking is important for any health care provider, but can be of particular relevance to emergency department (ED) staff. This article analyzes the laws applicable to assessing and treating pain in the ED setting, and considers various strategies suggested in the literature for managing suspected drug-seeking behavior. -
Do You Find Yourself Defending a Lawsuit Alleging Missed MI?
This is the second of a two-part series on missed myocardial infarction (MI) cases. This month, we cover specific documentation practices which can impact the outcome of a patient's lawsuit alleging a missed myocardial infarction. -
What Can Make a Patient's Lawsuit Just 'Go away?'
Inability to find an attorney who will take a malpractice case on a contingency fee basis. An inability to find an expert who can conclude to a reasonable degree of medical certainty that the ED physician breached the standard of care or proximately caused injury/death. Strong defense experts. Strong testimony from defendant physicians. Damaging admissions by the plaintiff's experts at deposition. A decision by the patient or family to resolve the matter now without going through the ordeal of a trial.