Healthcare Update Satellite — 12-04-2013

What are the busiest hospital emergency departments? An American Hospital Association survey from 2011 published earlier this year is surprising (link to .pdf file). The 25 busiest hospitals in the US see more than 5 million patients per year. Florida Hospital in Orlando is the busiest in the US and sees 407,000 patients per year – an average of 1,100 per day. Georgia Supreme Court rules that emergency physician’s to diagnose a pulmonary embolism in 15 year old football player who had arthroscopic knee surgery a week prior to ED visit can constitute gross negligence. The patient had pleuritic chest pain, a normal CXR, a normal EKG, normal pulse oximeter, and normal vital signs. He was discharged with a diagnosis of pleurisy. Two weeks later, the patient had chest pain and difficulty breathing. He was transported to another hospital and later died from a pulmonary embolism. Georgia enacted laws to protect doctors who provide mandatory emergency care by requiring that any malpractice claims must prove by clear and convincing evidence that the physician engaged in “gross negligence” which is defined as failing to “exercise even a slight degree of care” or “lack of the diligence that even careless men are accustomed to exercise.” The Appellate Court held that the emergency physician had provided some degree of care and therefore the plaintiffs could not meet the statutory burden of proving gross negligence. However, two “nationally recognized specialists...
Source: WhiteCoat's Call Room - Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Authors: Tags: Healthcare Update Source Type: blogs