Personal Injury Law

ER Doctor Reprimanded and Fined

By Steven M. Levin and John J. Perconti

A state medical board has reprimanded and fined a physician at a hospital in connection with a 2004 case in which a 40-year-old woman died while awaiting discharged. The woman came to the emergency room complaining of pain that she described as an ?elephant sitting on [her] chest.? The doctor ordered standard lab work, a chest X ray and an EKG. The patient appeared to be improving, but then ?experienced ventricular fibrillation? and died. A board-appointed peer reviewer found that the doctor?s actions failed to conform to minimum standards both as to diagnosis and to treatment. The doctor will be fined $5,000 and complete 15 hours of additional continuing medical education. The doctor will also pay $400 to the board as reimbursement of administrative fees and agree that a consent order will be placed on his physician profile. This is yet another example of how medical malpractice leads to a wrongful death. To read the full story, click here.

Full post as published by Illinois Medical Malpractice Blog on October 07, 2008 (boomark / email).