A patient expects their health condition to improve upon being admitted to the hospital. So if the opposite occurs, they may place blame on you; even when it is unwarranted to do so. Regardless, such negative attention toward your medical practices may jeopardize your employment at the hospital. Continue reading to learn why a patient might accuse you of medical misconduct after their hospital injury and how one of the experienced New York physician defense lawyers at Walker Medical Law can come to your aid.
Can a patient claim medical misconduct after a hospital injury?
Generally speaking, a patient may blame you for medical misconduct if they have the same or worse injuries than when they were initially admitted to the hospital. More specific examples are as follows:
- A patient may claim that you were grossly incompetent with your diagnosis, so their injuries remained the same or worsened.
- A patient may claim that you were grossly incompetent in interpreting their test results, so their injuries remained the same or worsened.
- A patient may claim that you refused to provide your services because of their race, religion, sex, etc., so their injuries remained the same or worsened.
- A patient may claim that you were physically, mentally, sexually, or financially abusive while providing your services, so their injuries remained the same or worsened.
- A patient may claim that you guaranteed that a certain treatment would result in a cure, but instead, they were left with the same or worse injuries.
Can I be terminated from a hospital after this claim?
If a patient believes that you have participated in medical misconduct, for any of the aforementioned reasons or otherwise, then they may file a complaint with the hospital’s administration. From here, the administration may be prompted to run an investigation against you. Ultimately, they may take action to remove you from the hospital staff if they conclude that you are guilty of such misconduct.
Unfortunately, being terminated, or even being forced to quit to avoid termination, may significantly threaten the future of your professional career in medicine. This is because the hospital’s administration may report your termination, and its reasoning, to the National Practioner Data Bank. Further, this report may be accessible to the New York State Department of Health’s Office of Professional Medical Conduct (OPMC). This may prompt an additional investigation led by the OPMC that comes with additional punishments, such as the possibility of having your medical license permanently revoked.
So when it comes to your medical misconduct defense, there is no question that the skilled New York physician defense lawyers are the best fit for you. Be sure to get in touch with Walker Medical Law at your earliest possible convenience.
