malpractice as a resident

[futuredo32]

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I did a traditional rotating osteopathic internship last year and I'm a resident at a different hospital this year. I got a call on my cell phone today from a lawyer about a patient who passed away last year. According to the lawyer, I'm not yet named in the suit but I did care for her at some point during her hospital stay and the lawyer said he was representing the hospital. I vaguely remember the name of this patient, but nothing specific at all, not even that she passed away or what she may have been admitted for.

I called the risk management person at the hospital where I did my internship last year and left a message and didn't speak to the lawyer. Is it odd that the lawyer contacted me before the hospital did? I read the thread about malpractice in residency and it seems that the norm is that residents are contacted by the hospital first. Am I still covered by the hospital's malpractice insurance? What exactly is this lawyer expecting me to say? I really really don't remember anything about this patient at all. Any advice is appreciated🙂

 

[Smurfette]

I did a traditional rotating osteopathic internship last year and I'm a resident at a different hospital this year. I got a call on my cell phone today from a lawyer about a patient who passed away last year. According to the lawyer, I'm not yet named in the suit but I did care for her at some point during her hospital stay and the lawyer said he was representing the hospital. I vaguely remember the name of this patient, but nothing specific at all, not even that she passed away or what she may have been admitted for.

I called the risk management person at the hospital where I did my internship last year and left a message and didn't speak to the lawyer. Is it odd that the lawyer contacted me before the hospital did? I read the thread about malpractice in residency and it seems that the norm is that residents are contacted by the hospital first. Am I still covered by the hospital's malpractice insurance? What exactly is this lawyer expecting me to say? I really really don't remember anything about this patient at all. Any advice is appreciated🙂

1. The lawyer (if truly representing the hospital) was likely contacting you on behalf of the hospital. So no, that does not sound odd to me.

2. Yes, the hospital where you did your internship covers you for any malpractice cases that occurred while you were employed there, even if you are sued after you are no longer working there.

3. I think the lawyer was just trying to let you know that there is a possibility that you may be named in the suit as you were involved in the care of the patient, or that you might need to give a statement/deposition regarding the care of the patient at some point. In layman's terms, he was giving you a "heads up".

4. If you don't remember anything about the patient, don't panic. The risk management people will arrange for you to be able to review the patient's chart if you need to. Don't try to review the patient's chart without their approval.

5. The hospital risk management people will be able to give you better details about everything; they are supposed to walk you through how everything works, if you need to be involved with the case. Don't panic yet; it is possible you will not be named, or may be named and ultimately dropped from the suit. Wait and see what they tell you when they call you back.

 

[futuredo32]

Thank you🙂
I definitely hope the suit is dropped, assuming there was no malpractice.
Honestly, all I could do is read whatever I wrote in the chart word for word. I can't imagine that I will remember anything from last June or longer.