Cross Posted at Legal Schnauzer
Hospitals apparently want to avoid accountability in those pesky lawsuits for wrongful death and medical malpractice. They might have found a way.
The plan seems to have started in Alabama, and if it proves successful, we look for it to move to other states.
One Alabama court case indicates the plan is working, and another case appears to be in the pipeline. If this spreads around the country, you or a loved one can be killed by medical negligence, and when you go to court . . . well, you will be "s--t out of luck," as some folks say Down South.
How does the new scheme work? A private health-care facility signs an affiliation agreement with a public institution, such as a university medical center. That allows the private facility to piggyback on the university's "sovereign immunity," a concept that means state entities often are protected from lawsuits by private individuals.
Until recently, this was not lawful, even under our backward court system in Alabama. But the Alabama Supreme Court recently found that Baptist Health in Montgomery enjoyed "state immunity" because of its affiliation with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). This was the high court's grounds for overturning a $3.2-million jury verdict in the death of 73-year-old Lauree Ellison.
A throat culture had come back positive for Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), but Baptist Health failed to notify Ellison's physician. About two months later, Ellison was diagnosed with MRSA pneumonia and died.
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