We understand just how challenging the job of a doctor treating elderly patients in a nursing home care facility may be. Unfortunately, despite your best efforts, the families of these residents may be left dissatisfied with the care you have administered thus far. Further, they may allow their stress over their loved one’s health condition or grief over their loved one’s death cloud their judgment, and misunderstand or exaggerate your healthcare practices as negligent or abusive. If you get word that the Office of Professional Medical Conduct (OPMC) or Office of Professional Discipline (OPD) has received these overstated complaints against you, please read on to discover whether you would lose your medical license over nursing home abuse allegations and how one of the seasoned New York City OPMC/OPD misconduct defense lawyers at Walker Medical Law can help prevent this from transpiring.
Under what circumstances might I be accused of nursing home abuse?
A complaint regarding your abuse of a nursing home resident may come from the resident’s family members, the care facility itself, your coworkers, a hospital that treats the resident in an emergent situation, etc. Such a complaint is most commonly triggered by an incident in which a resident is seriously injured or unexpectedly passes away. Nonetheless, if you are accused of abuse, you are essentially being blamed for intentionally or recklessly harming the resident. More specific examples of this are as follows:
- You may be accused of overmedicating a resident with sedatives and leaving them dizzy, drowsy, etc.
- You may be accused of skipping a resident for meals and leaving them malnourished or dehydrated.
- You may be accused of ignoring a resident’s symptoms and leaving them with serious infections or illnesses.
- You may be accused of improperly restraining a resident to their bed and leaving them with bedsores.
- You may be accused of aggressively handling a resident during daily routines and leaving them with bruises.
- You may be accused of failing to assist a resident to the restroom and leaving them to slip and fall.
Will I lose my medical license over nursing home abuse allegations?
In short, the OPMC and OPD take complaints regarding a medical professional’s abuse seriously. So, an official report against you may immediately prompt their investigators to open a case. If the Board’s final ruling is that you indeed abused a nursing home resident, this professional misconduct may cost you your medical license. What’s even worse, though, is that this may rapidly turn into a criminal case, as well.
Specifically, your alleged conduct may have involved assault, sexual abuse, fraud, or neglect resulting in wrongful death, to name a few. Here, a guilty verdict means significant prison time, hefty fines, and a permanent criminal record. This is not to mention that the family of the resident may come after you in a separate civil lawsuit. If you lose here, as well, you may be liable for paying for their claimed damages (i.e., medical bills, therapy, relocation costs, pain and suffering, diminished quality of life, etc).
The time to act is now. Please prioritize scheduling an initial consultation with one of the competent OPMC/OPD misconduct defense lawyers from Walker Medical Law. We would be honored to represent you in your legal case.
