A patient who goes to the emergency room, if conscious, is mostly concerned with getting care, not with untangling the contractual relationship between the hospital and the doctors who work there. And yet the characterization of the hospital-doctor relationship has profound implications for a patient’s ability to recover against the hospital for negligent treatment. This case asks us to decide when a hospital may be liable for the negligence of a doctor working in, but not as an employee of, a hospital in its emergency room.
That is the startling title of a recent article in the Atlantic, https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2021/07/paramedics-not-just-ambulance-drivers/619395/. The subtitle is, “The misperception that paramedics are merely ambulance drivers is everyone’s problem.” Key excerpts are below, but the whole article is well worth reading. The Atlantic is paywalled, but nonsubscribers get three free articles a month, so you should be able to access it. And remember, if you need an E
Dr. Stephen L. Thornton is one of our top experts specializing in emergency medicine and medical toxicology. He consistently receives the highest praise from both plaintiff and defense attorneys.
