Though claims for “negligent infliction of emotional distress” brought by a patient’s family are difficult to prove, a court recently supported a jury’s award to the relatives of a patient who experienced distress after surgery.

Utilization Review: an injured worker will get another chance to argue that an alleged injury was induced by fault in a physician's utilization review.

Electronic chart narratives containing standard, generalized phraseology will bear poor witness in a subsequent dispute over medical care.

The responsibility of a specialist to make a referral to another specialist — or instead rely on the primary care physician — will depend on a number of variables. But at the very least, the medical record on the issue should avoid ambiguity.

If tempted to pursue an alternate treatment plan based on a patient’s financial situation, a physician should assess whether such a consideration might be clouding his or her clinical medical judgment.