Today’s news gets worse as physicians are now vulnerable to this:
The state Supreme Judicial Court today ruled that a doctor can be sued over a car accident caused by his patient, greatly expanding potential liability for the medical profession . . .. . . “This is one more straw on the backs of practicing physicians who feel the liability challenges out there are being broadened,” said Dr. Dale Magee, president of the Massachusetts Medical Society, which represents most of the state’s doctors. “Now they’re being held responsible for things that happen beyond the physician patient relationship.”
Magee said it’s reasonable to require doctors to warn patients about common side effects of medications. But he said if doctors are required to relay a litany of possibilities and rare potential problems, they could scare off patients from taking their medications. “They may do more harm than good,” he said.
