A 90-year-old woman, who used a wheelchair and suffered from dementia, behavioral disturbances, and depression, was admitted to a memory care facility for long-term care. One evening the woman was admitted to the hospital after facility staff noticed the woman’s left knee was swollen and the woman was crying in pain. Doctors at the hospital diagnosed the woman with a left femur fracture. Because of the woman’s age, rather than performing surgery, the doctors recommended immobilizing the leg. The fracture led to an open wound, which became infected, resulting in the woman’s death. Click title to continue reading...
A woman was admitted to a medical center as an outpatient to undergo various plastic surgery procedures. Specifically, the plastic surgeon was to perform liposuction on both thighs, fill indentations on the woman’s hips using the excess fat removed by the liposuction, surgically narrow the woman’s nostrils, and fill in the creases on either side of the woman’s nose. Click title to continue reading...
A child injured in an automobile accident was transported to a hospital by a helicopter, also known as an air ambulance. The personal injury protection (PIP) coverage of the automobile owner’s insurance policy covered the air ambulance transportation. Seeking reimbursement for the transportation, the air ambulance provider submitted a bill for medical services to the automobile owner’s insurer. The automobile owner’s insurance policy limited reimbursement of air ambulance services to an amount determined by a fee schedule set forth in a state statute. Click title to continue reading...
