MEDICAL: MEDICAL PRACTICE :
LEGAL ISSUES:
Attorneys Gear Up for Suits Over 'Virtual Medicine'
Attorneys Gear Up for Suits Over 'Virtual Medicine'
Critics say the legal system has not kept pace with online diagnoses and
other technological advances in medicine
Tresa Baldas
The National Law Journal
June 9, 2006
Law.com
<http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1149757520082>
The number of doctors and hospitals making virtual house calls has
exploded in recent years, which has lawyers cautioning the medical
community about the legal dangers of treating and monitoring patients via
the Internet.
Attorneys warn that virtual medicine -- which has popped up in hospitals
and clinics in more than a dozen states in the last two years -- could
open the floodgates to malpractice claims, privacy disputes and licensure
problems.
"My concern is that this would open up lawsuits," said attorney Brett C.
Powell of Hicks & Kneale in Miami, who handles malpractice appeals for
doctors and plaintiffs. "I can foresee a claim down the road where the
patients are claiming negligence for failing to recognize a situation.
With these virtual house calls ... you could say not only did he not have
an adequate examination, but he didn't even see me."
Lawyers' concerns stem not only from the increase in doctors participating
in virtual medicine, but by the growing number of insurance carriers that
have been willing to pay for online visits.
----------------------------------------
The complete article may be read at the URL above.
Sincerely,
David Dillard
Temple University
(215) 204 - 4584
[log in to unmask]
Net-Gold
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/net-gold>
<http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/net-gold.html>
General Internet & Print Resources
<http://library.temple.edu/articles/subject_guides/general.jsp>
<http://www.learningis4everyone.org/>
<http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/ringleaders/davidd.html>
Digital Divide Network
<http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/jwne>
Educator-Gold
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Educator-Gold/>
________________End of message______________________
This Disability-Research Discussion list is managed by the Centre for Disability Studies at the University of Leeds (www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies). Enquiries about the list administratione should be sent to [log in to unmask]
Archives and tools are located at:
www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/disability-research.html
You can JOIN or LEAVE the list from this web page.
|