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Emergency physician groups have dealt with the realities of claims-made liability coverage for years now, yet many continue to be unpleasantly "surprised" when it comes to their "tail coverage." Tail coverage: allows the insured an extended period of time for the claim to mature or be reported to the insurance company.
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You may hear phrases such as "gross negligence" and "willful and wanton misconduct" stated by the media, but these terms also are important for many health providers in that they can limit liability for providing medical care.
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There is now considerable data indicating that the use of high-dose steroids for spinal cord injuries is not effective and can even be harmful to patients. Despite this, are ED physicians still "obligated" in a legal sense, to administer high-dose steroids to patients with spinal cord injuries?
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The "standard of care" often has a significant impact on the outcome of ED malpractice lawsuits, but the way this is defined can vary according to state law and other factors.
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If an emergency physician is arrested for assaulting a patient or for inappropriate sexual conduct, there is potential liability exposure for both the emergency medicine group and the hospital where the ED is located, says Thomas H. Taylor, a health care attorney at LaCrosse, WI-based Johns, Flaherty & Collins.
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In response to concerns voiced by staff members about their own safety and that of their patients, and a desire for greater patient privacy, the treatment area of the ED at Central Vermont Medical Center (CVH) in Berlin has, in essence, been put on a full-time modified "lockdown."
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The leadership at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in Houston has used "Lean" methodology to significantly improve performance in the ED, reducing median length of stay, frequency of diversions, and the percentage of patient who left before treatment was complete (LBTC).
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When it comes to transferring seriously injured patients, there has not been a significant difference in how Level I and Level II trauma centers have traditionally been viewed, according to Sue Slone, MD, FACS, director of trauma surgery at Swedish Medical Center in Denver.
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In the face of findings at Swedish Medical Center in Denver, that upgrading from a Level II trauma designation to a Level I significantly improves mortality rates, should an ED manager at a Level II facility advocate such an upgrade?
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As we go to press, a jury has cleared two ED physicians of negligence in a $67 million lawsuit filed by John Ritter's widow Amy Yasbeck in Los Angeles Superior Court.
