NYC Medical Malpractice: Doctors Must be Held to High Standard of Care
Melissa Rivers, daughter of comedienne and television host Joan Rivers, has filed a lawsuit for malpractice on behalf of her mother. In the lawsuit, Ms. Rivers alleges that Dr. Gwen Korovin, Joan River’s voice doctor, panicked and left the procedure room while her patient went into cardiac arrest. This allegation is based on the handwritten statement by Dr. Renuka Bankulla, the anesthesiologist for the procedure.
According to the statement, Dr. Bankulla expected Korovin to perform an emergency cricothyrotomy; to open up an airway and prevent cardiac arrest. When Dr. Bankulla looked around the room for Dr. Korovin as the patient’s condition worsened, however, the former was nowhere in sight. The lawsuit against Dr. Korovin asserts that her reason for leaving the procedure room at such a critical time was because she did not have the credentials to practice at the clinic in question, and so didn’t want to get caught.
Where medical malpractice lies
The lawsuit against Gwen Korovin shows the importance of holding medical providers to a high standard of care, and ensure that their patients receive the quality of healthcare they deserve. A seasoned New York medical malpractice lawyer, like one from The Law Offices of Joseph Lichtenstein will tell you that the first thing to look for is confirmation that the doctor indeed violated the basic standards of medical care.
As per Melissa Rivers’ allegations, Gwen Korovin did not have the privileges to perform any medical procedures at Yorkville Endoscopy, the center where her mother was being treated. This could be a violation on the part of the practitioner, not to mention of the center’s very own house rules and regulations. Should violation of the basic standards of medical care be confirmed, the next thing an attorney will do is evaluate the violations and find a connection between them and the patient’s untimely demise. In legal terms, this is known as causation.
The cost of medical malpractice
At 81, Joan Rivers was still earning a good living; her loss easily translates into financial losses for her family. Ultimately, a jury will have to decide and put a finite and precise dollar number on what exactly Ms. Rivers’ loss is worth.
If you and your family suffered a similar loss, it’s time to talk to an NYC medical malpractice attorney and have your case evaluated. Doctors must be held accountable if they fail to deliver on what’s expected of them. A medical malpractice attorney can help you get closure when a loved one dies from a medical procedure that’s supposed to make them better.
(Source: Joan Rivers’s Doctor Denies Allegation That She Fled Procedure Room, Lawyer Says, The New York Times, Jan. 28, 2015)