Hospital Propofol Policy Results In $3M Judgement In Patient Death


Here at the Law Med Blog we have mentioned more than once the minefield institutions create through their ill considered creation of various unnecessary policies and procedures. The incredible irony here is that these P&P are almost always created with the idea they will LIMIT liability and increase quality of care. Often times they serve to create local Standards of Care which deviate from nationally accepted standards. The hospital however can be held liable for violating their own policies, regardless of whether they followed national standards. Once implemented, patients are entitled to be treated under the hospitals published policies.
And this brings us to Enloe Medical Center in Chico, California. A* Butte County Superior Court jury Monday ruled the hospital must pay the family of *50 year old Todd Stewart $3 million. Stewart, who died after a failed attempt to replace a faulty lead in*an implanted cardiac defibrillator, underwent the … (Continued...)



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