To Question, or Not to Question Your Supervisor’s Diagnosis
A nurse practitioner disagrees with her supervisor over a diagnosis but fails to voice her opinion, leading to misdiagnosis and a subsequent above-the-knee amputation.
Legal Advisor
Fired for Refusing a Flu Shot
A nurse practitioner sues her former employer after being fired for refusing to get a flu shot.
Alleged HIPAA Violation or Termination for Taking FMLA?
A court must choose whether to accept a hospital’s explanation that a nurse was fired for violating HIPAA or let a jury decide whether the hospital’s action was merely a pretext for firing the nurse for taking advantage of FMLA.
Could a Tragic Death Following Hospital Discharge Have Been Avoided?
A recently discharge patient dies in a tragic fire, and the hospital and treating clinicians are subsequently named in a lawsuit.
Communicating Care via Fax: NP Faulted for Negligence
Use of a fax machine and lack of a timely response resulted in the demise of a patient and an accusation of gross negligence.
Is Clinician Testimony Allowable in a Sexual Assault Trial?
A nurse practitioner working in the safe child center of the outpatient pediatric wing of a regional hospital is called to testify in an abuse case.
HIPAA Violation Derails NP’s Career
A HIPAA violation harms the successful career of a healthcare provider and causes problems for her former and current employers.
A Case of Wrongful Termination?
A clinician quits her job but afterward sues for wrongful termination.
Patient Test Results Never Received
A clinician fails to follow up after ordering diagnostic tests for a patient.
Liability After a Missed Diagnosis
A patient dies after a clinician fails to act on signs of a potential case of deep vein thrombosis.
Voiding a Noncompete Clause
A clinician attempts to void a restrictive noncompete clause that she had signed before beginning her
current job as an NP.
A Patient Is Mistakenly Told He Is Dying
A clinician shares a patient’s incorrect diagnosis with another government agency.
Sexual Harassment at Work
A nurse in a VA facility files a complaint against a clinician, which ends with a criminal conviction.
Should a “do not resuscitate” tattoo on an unconscious patient be honored?
A patient presented with COPD, diabetes, and atrial fibrillation and was found to have a large tattoo across his chest reading, “DO NOT RESUSCITATE,” followed by his signature.
A dosage change over the phone
A clinician makes a dosage change for a patient during a telephone call, which leads to a lawsuit.
Clinicians in a contract dispute
Two NPs in practice together end up in court after one loses her license.
A patient commits murder
A nurse practitioner is sued by her patient’s children after their mother is murdered.
Fired after violating a patient’s privacy
A nurse notifies other clinicians that a patient is positive for hepatitis C.
The importance of good notetaking
Taking good notes is one of the most important steps a clinician can take to reduce the risk of a lawsuit.
Birth control leads to a blood clot
A patient presents with chest pain 6 weeks after beginning use of a contraceptive device.
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