Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Hospital Liability
The parties involved in the case are Charles Cullen, the primary guilty party, the families of the victims who were murdered by Cullen's actions, and the hospitals that employed Cullen, including the Somerset Medical Center. Other hospitals that employed him are located in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
In 2003, Charles Cullen was arrested for the murder of 29 patients in hospitals in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Of these victims, 13 were at Somerset Medical Center. Cullen had stolen medications to murder these patients (Serial Killer Central, 2008). In 2008, an appeals court case was to decide whether the families of the victims have the right to sue the medical centers and hospitals that employed Cullen at the time of the murders.
Other outcomes were that hospitals were ordered to report serious medical mistakes both to patients and state regulators. In New Jersey and Pennsylvania, requirements were also tightened to oblige hospitals to provide more detailed job references to prevent suspect personnel to easily obtain jobs in similar institutions. Cullen moved from one job to another despite being fired from at least...
These facilities are liable by association as a result of their silence regarding Cullen's misconduct during his employment with them.
The institutions' liability is based upon the fact that they employed a suspect individual to care for patients without conducting the necessary background checks that would have revealed him as such. By association, the deaths could have been prevented by means of more thorough background checks.
According to Silvers, Langsam & Weitzman, P.C. (2011), hospitals, as care facilities, are expected to provide the highest level of care while also ensuring that all their patients remain healthy and safe. They are therefore obliged, by law, to supervise their personnel thoroughly to ensure that such care and health are promoted. In addition to the supervising function, care facilities are also obliged to hire competent personnel and to ensure that they receive high quality, relevant training for the work they are to perform.
In Cullen's case, the hiring practice was clearly flawed. After he successfully entered the respective institutions where he was employed,…
References
Buchanan & Buchanan Litigation Counsel (2011). Hospital Liability. Retrieved from: http://www.buchananfirm.com/malpractice-hospital-liability.htm
LSU Law Center (2011). Medical Risk management: Preventive Legal Strategies for Health Care Providers. Retrieved from: http://biotech.law.lsu.edu/books/aspen/Aspen-Employee.html
Serial Killer Central (2008, Jan 29). Appeals court will hear arguments for hospital liability in Cullen Case. Retrieved from: http://www.skcentral.com/news.php?readmore=2585
Silvers, Langsam & Weitzman, P.C. (2011). Hospital Malpractice and Liability. Retrieved from: http://www.birthinjuryinfo.org/Who-Is-Liable-for-My-Child-s-Injury/Hospital-Malpractice.shtml
Woodruff, L.G. (n.d.) Hospital Liability. Retrieved from: http://www.warlawgroup.com/files/LGW-HospitalLiability.pdf
Via stipulated agreement, a licensee who faces disciplinary action has the right to negotiate a settlement. Such a settlement is also subject to the Board vote, and may be approved or denied as a result. When disagreeing with the outcome of the disciplinary hearing, the licensee may also appeal to have the Board's decision overthrown. However, if the accused believes that the charges are valid, he or she may also
The therapist must also avoid making any diagnosis that is outside of their professional licensing and specialty. For instance, they should avoid making notes that state that the client is "depressed" or any other similar comments (APTA, 2008). These comments are often unintentional, but they can lead to a serious potential for liability risk. The physical therapist has many sources of information available to them, including the internet and conversations
nurse-manager for a hospital floor and focuses on a proposed change to that floor: the addition of a certified wound care nurse. It begins by describing the benefits of a specialized wound care nurse, the existing conditions on the hospital floor, and how each of the stakeholders would be impacted by such a change. It utilizes Lippitt's phases of change theory to describe how those changes would be implemented
Bobby and Rachel Liability There is potential liability on the part of the various parties in the scenario involving Bobby, the nurse, the surgeon and City General Hospital. In this essay, the author will consider each party's responsibility and potential liability/neglect separately. We will define comparative negligence and discuss its application to the analysis of liability in the scenario. As we shall see further on, there is an inherent contradiction between
Advance Information Management and the Application of Technology In this modern age, the incorporation of information technology (IT) with the health care system is important. With the need of quality care within the industry, there is great significance in many institutions about the execution of electronic health record (EHRs) and information support systems. The use of registries and IT support systems will enable the community hospital to monitor and track patients
A chain of communication needs to be established for future cases. More concrete recommendations for the organization include a clear system for assigning and determining a physician-in-charge for every admitted patient at all times, such that there is never a situation where emergency care is being directed through a cell phone, where there is not a clear hierarchy during medical response, and where there is clear accountability after the fact.