1. Are You Liable For The Patient

Why do you have to pay a hospital bill if the patient dies?

Because the doctors and the whole medical staff tried their best (most probably). They did what they could have done for any other helpless patient. The doctors have worked hard for years to handle the cases they deal with. That's the least they deserve. Trust me! No doctor would ever be careless in dealing with his patients. (Most of em'). Moreover they have used all the expensive instruments and medicines to save the patient. All the years of studies and expertise! They have given their 100%. Alas! Everything is not in their hands.Take an example. You hire an engineer to build a building that will last a 100 yrs. He promises and you pay him off. He tries his best and builds it. But due to some earthquake or something,it shatters too soon . Would you demand your money back? Even if you would, would the engineer give you?

What happens to a surgeon when a patient dies on his or her operating table?

Speaking with one of my friends about this very topic. He told me that counter-intuitively one of the best surgeons in our area had one of the lowest statistical records of saves on the table. Why? Because he took all the worst cases that most doctors would not touch. Patients who were desperate and understood they would die soon and or suffer much pain and debility before they died. Many of his patients had very poor chances but understood the risk. Sadly many would die in surgery.But to the question of what happens when a doctor’s mistakes result in a death??? They are reviewed on each case and have to go before a board of their peers to explain why. Usually this means extensive retraining in the area that may have resulted in the death. Doctors are only human and unfortunately they do make mistakes and when they do it can cost you a life. The only silver lining is that those doctors become extremely good at never making those mistakes again. Some of the best doctors have had to grapple with the hard knock education of having ended a life because of their mistakes. Ironically having ended a life makes for some of the most conscientious and highly skilled doctors.If a doctor has had too many failures that his supervisors or peers deemed to be within normal control, he can be removed from his position or lose his license but this is not a very common thing.Few people study their whole life to get to that position and throw it all away. With any profession if you have large enough numbers you will have a few rotten apples.

What happens after patient fell in the hospital?

The exact protocol may differ depending on the facility, but here is a general run-down:1. If you're with the patient and they're falling, DO NOT try to catch them. You can seriously hurt yourself. (This is true even if you're a healthcare professional.) Gently lower them to the floor, protecting the head.2. If you find a patient on the floor, first check to see if they're conscious. If they're not, start CPR. If they are, check vital signs.3. Ask the patient what happened, if they are able to tell you. (Sometimes the CAUSE of the fall may be more serious than the EFFECTS of the fall. For example, you want to know if your patient got dizzy, had chest pain, or was short of breath. These could signal life-threatening conditions - much more serious than "I tripped over the cord for the IV pole".)4. See if the patient has any pain. This can alert you to potential broken bones or other injuries. Also check for other injuries, especially the head, legs, and arms.5. If the patient is able to get himself/herself off the floor, let them stand up carefully. If the patient cannot get himself/herself off the floor, check your agency policy on how to get them up. (One agency where I worked had a policy that ANY patient who couldn't stand up on their own had to be raised in a sling lift, regardless of their mobility and transfer status before the fall.)6. Get the patient back to bed or into a chair.7. Notify the charge nurse, patient's physician, and the family that the patient had a fall.8. Carefully monitor the patient afterward. Some facilities, especially seniors' care facilities, have protocols for monitoring vital signs for a set period due to the risk of head trauma.

A doctor bills a patient for an elective procedure he told the patient was covered by insurance when it was not. What are the patient's options?

1. Appeal the insurer’s decision. There will be multiple levels of appeal and the first one is an appeal that is internal to the insurance company. But do not stop there. 2. Ask the Doc to assist with your appeal. Depending on the nature of rejection such assistance might include writing a letter explaining medical necessity and/or talking with the Insurance company’s doctor. 3. Whenever the provider hands you that sheaf of paper to sign, look for the one that says you are personally responsible… and pen in something to the effect that you are only accepting liability for costs that are covered by your insurance policy. I have never had a clerk object to that when I have done it. These clerks are generally underpaid, under appreciated and in my experience, they just don’t care.It is not uncommon in a surgery for someone to add charges for an anesthesiologist who is out of network, for whom your insurance policy will not cover or will only partially cover. That’s a problem.Item 3 above may help you in renegotiating the fees of these uninvited guests. Even without item 3, as you renegotiate the fees: (1) make sure the negotiation starts with the wholesale price your insurance company would have paid, not the retail list price (I have personally seen instances where the difference is ten fold and a two fold difference is common)(2) And insist that you were relying on them to preapprove the procedure’s coverage with your insurance company and they are the ones that screwed up. They should pay for their own screw ups, not you.See also: How Credit Reporting for Unpaid Medical Bills is Changing | Clearpoint