Nosy nurse runs afoul of HIPAA rules
Breaching the privacy of a patient’s records could land her in jail and jeopardize the entire clinic.
All articles by Ann W. Latner, JD
“Sometimes tragedies just happen”
When a 16-year-old dies after an auto accident, his distraught parents look for someone to blame.
Routine lulls doctor into sloppiness
After missing early signs of colon cancer, did heneglect to recommend a colonoscopy as well? Dr. D, 62, was a general practitioner in a quiet Midwestern suburb. He enjoyed his reputation as a kindly, old-fashioned family doctor just as his father and grandfather had before him. But after 25 years, he was ready to wind…
PA stumbles over vague instructions
An injured hiker charges that deciding when to start antibiotics should never have been his call to make. Should a patient be expected to determine whether a wound is infected? Mr. C, a 38-year-old physician assistant, learned the answer the hard way when that question led to his involvement in a malpractice lawsuit. Mr. C…
Fired patient blames NP for job loss
Does confidentiality mean hiding a plausible threat to safety? Wheredoes a clinician’s duty lie? Mr. B, 26, couldn’t seem to hold a job. Nevertheless, he proposed marriage to his girlfriend of three years and she accepted. With the wedding looming, he was determined to keep his current position on the assembly line of a paper…
PA balks at doctor’s sleazy orders
After ignoring an affair with a patient, illegally prescribed drugs, and falsified papers, a practice finally goes too far. Ms. K, 45, worked as a physician assistant in a large suburban practice outside a major city. She’d been employed there for more than 12 years and took pride in her work. Until shortly before she…
Whose standard of care applies?
A lawyer challenges the legitimacy of an expert’s opinion after an NP misses an incipient stroke. Mr. L, 37, was a nurse practitioner in the busy emergency department of a large hospital. He was on duty when a 56-year-old woman came in complaining of a headache that had lasted for two weeks, along with nausea…
Jury shows a bias for antibiotics
When a sinus infection wreaks havoc on a patient, a PA’s medical judgment means little to laymen. As a physician assistant in a small family practice, Ms. A, 42, was sometimes the only clinician available. Such was the case when Mrs. Z came to see her regular physician, Dr. L, and was treated by Ms.…
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