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And In Michael Jackson News Today ? California Emergency Rooms

By Joe Consumer

California emergency rooms make news today ? but at slightly different ends of the spectrum.

First, a jury verdict has come down in the atrocious story of Juana Magnaye vs. her board certified surgeon, Dr. Morad Tourah (aka Morad H. Akhondzadeh, M.D.).  Seems like Dr. Tourah botched Juana?s routine gall bladder surgery but rather than treat her, he drove her ? in his own car - to County-USC hospital and dumped her in front of the ER. The jury ruled for Juana?s.  

Then, we found out ER doctors at UCLA briefly re-started Michael Jackson's heart.  But alas, the attorney for Jackson?s father Joe, who plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit against Michael's doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, says he was "long gone" by then.  "The lawsuit accuses Dr. Murray of causing Jackson's death by delaying the call for an ambulance."

This is all just to remind us that the ER is a pretty important place and most doctors and nurses do a great job for patients.  But it?s also important to remember what the Institute of Medicine found: that ERs are the hospital location with the highest proportion of negligent adverse events (52.6 percent).  It?s the same place where many people without health insurance go for primary care, and unfortunately, the same hospital location that some states are starting to immunize from liability for malpractice.  California itself severely ?caps? compensation for all patients injured by medical malpractice - including ER patients (like some cases describe here.)

As a great side benefit to the new health care law, ERs will hopefully become less crowded and safer for everyone.

Full post as published by ThePopTort on March 30, 2010 (boomark / email).