|
|
"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource."
|
Big settlement illustrates why state [Florida] set limits [Med mal]
|
|---|
| Parent(s) |
Race
|
| Contributor | CBlock941 |
| Last Edited | CBlock941 Aug 31, 2004 08:44am |
| Logged |
0
|
| Category | Opinion |
| Media | Newspaper - Orlando Sentinel |
| News Date | Tuesday, August 31, 2004 06:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | An emergency-room doctor called to report an emergency. Two pediatricians who specialize in critical-care cases at Florida Hospital hospitals no longer were admitting children.
"We have to call on these guys quite frequently," said the doctor. "We rely on them."
The two pediatricians, Vivek Desai and Ayodeji Otegbeye, were hit with the brunt of a $30 million malpractice judgment last month for their role in treating a 10-year-old Apopka boy. He died after going into kidney failure from large doses of antibiotics he was given to treat an infected foot.
The judgment may well be reduced as the case is appealed, but it still will loom large as doctors and lawyers prepare for a November showdown over a ballot referendum that would limit legal fees in malpractice lawsuits.
To doctors supporting the referendum, this case is a classic example of a runaway jury awarding an exorbitant judgment. It could jack up malpractice-insurance premiums and scare away specialists who engage in high-risk medicine.
To lawyers, the case is a classic example of how malpractice reforms would leave patients vulnerable. |
| Share |
|
|
2¢
|
|
| Article | Read Full Article |
|
| Date |
Category |
Headline |
Article |
Contributor |
|
|
