Dr. Respected is 77 years old and has been practicing medicinefor 50 years. He is revered in his community and has been a majorface of the largest hospital in the area for quite some time. He isin solo practice as a primary care physician. He is scaling downhis practice some but makes rounds in the hospital every day andsees patients in his office.
In the hospital he now often consults others to help manage hispatients. The care given and the outcomes are good. The nursingstaff has been noticing that he is gradually declining and this hasbeen passed on to administration. His comments to them are at timesodd, and he forgets to sign his notes. A few orders have been forthe wrong dose of a medication and the consultants have beencorrecting this. His patients love when he comes to visit them inthe hospital.
Does the hospital have a responsibility to take away Dr.Respected's privileges? There have been no reports of bad outcomes.Does the hospital share a burden of responsibility for the caregiven at the physician's office where there are no consultants?
