• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
(914) 220-1086

Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

Just another WordPress site

  • Home
  • About
    • Attorney Profiles
      • Daniel F. Gallivan
      • Thomas L. Gallivan
      • James C. Freeman
      • Andrew J. Gilbride
    • Testimonials
  • Practice Areas
    • Personal Injury
      • Car Accident Lawyers
      • Pedestrian Accident Lawyers
      • Slip & Fall Lawyers
      • Truck Accident Lawyers
      • Wrongful Death Lawyers
      • Motorcycle Accident Lawyers
    • Nursing Home Abuse
    • Criminal Defense
    • Medical Malpractice
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Videos
    • Notable Cases
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • About
    • Attorney Profiles
      • Daniel F. Gallivan
      • Thomas L. Gallivan
      • James C. Freeman
      • Andrew J. Gilbride
    • Testimonials
  • Practice Areas
    • Personal Injury
      • Car Accident Lawyers
      • Pedestrian Accident Lawyers
      • Slip & Fall Lawyers
      • Truck Accident Lawyers
      • Wrongful Death Lawyers
      • Motorcycle Accident Lawyers
    • Nursing Home Abuse
    • Criminal Defense
    • Medical Malpractice
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Videos
    • Notable Cases
  • Contact Us
Call
Contact
Blog
Home  /  Personal Injury Law  /  Scrutiny Grows As More Surgeons “Double-Book” Surgeries

Scrutiny Grows As More Surgeons “Double-Book” Surgeries

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC 29 Aug2017

The practice of concurrent surgery, or “double-booking,” where a surgeon performs or presides over two patients during the same period of time, has become more popular in recent years. As the practice has become more common, scrutiny by regulators and patient advocates, as well as lawsuits by injured patients, have also increased. These opponents of the procedure say it is unsafe, unregulated, and done primarily to line the pockets of surgeons. Surgeons advocating the practice retort that “double-booking” is a safe and efficient procedure.

Double-booking has been a common practice at teaching hospitals across the country, where senior attending surgeons delegate procedures to residents or fellows. The residents or fellows will perform one part of the surgery while the surgeon operates on another patient in a separate operating room. Because double-booking requires the surgeon to constantly shuffle between operating rooms, the practice is known as “running two rooms” in the medical community. Senior surgeons may also see patients, or otherwise leave the operating rooms altogether.

The practice is, for the most part, unregulated and unmonitored. Medicare billing rules require that the attending surgeon be present during any “critical portion” of an operation – however, surgeons are free to decide which portions of surgery are “critical” and which are not. This leaves the hospitals with the primary responsibility for regulating the practice. Recent studies, and a glut of successful lawsuits against surgeons and hospitals utilizing the practice, suggest that they are not doing a very good job.

A 2015 investigation into Massachusetts General Hospital by the Boston Globe, examining its use of concurrent surgery over a 10-year period, found multiple complications and injuries that may have been linked to the practice. The study detailed instances where patients were waiting under anesthesia for hours while nurses attempted to locate the surgeon, leaving residents to perform surgeries without adequate supervision. The investigation also attributed the paralysis of one patient and the death of two others to the practice.

Lawsuits have, predictably, proliferated. A jury in Seattle, Washington awarded a patient $8.5 million after an abdominal surgery went horrifically wrong and the man ended up with disfigured genitals. Only after the surgery was complete did the man learn that an important part of the surgery was performed by a fellow, not the surgeon. This apparently common occurrence is nicknamed “ghost surgery,” where the patient only learns after-the-fact that his or her procedure was not performed by the surgeon.

Shockingly, a lack of explicit consent is not legally required, and for the hospitals that do require explicit consent, surgeons often ask the patient the day of the surgery (or sometimes the day before) – leaving the patient with little time to consider his or her options. For hospitals that want to continue the practice of double-booking, the impetus to keep the patient uninformed is perhaps understandable since most people want their surgeon performing their surgeries. A recent study by Harvard University found that fewer than 4 percent of people had even heard of concurrent surgery and a mere 31 percent supported the practice.

Patient advocates say this points to a larger problem with concurrent surgery – a complete lack of transparency. Of the 4,700 hospitals that receive Medicare funding, no one knows exactly how many practice double-booking. Likewise, there is no publicly available information concerning how many surgeons, and under what circumstances, practice double-booking.

Advocates of the practice state that concurrent surgery can be done safely, allows more patients to receive medical treatment, and helps train the next generation of surgeons. These surgeons claim that the results of the practice’s safety are mixed and point to a study by the Mayo Clinic that examined 11,000 “overlapping surgeries” and concluded the death rate was not any higher. This, proponents say, is evidence that concurrent surgery can be performed safely.

Source:

https://khn-org.cdn.ampproject.org/c/khn.org/news/double-booked-when-surgeons-operate-on-two-patients-at-once/amp/

Posted in: Personal Injury Law, Medical Malpractice, Wrongful Death

Primary Sidebar

Get In Touch

Practice Areas

Personal Injury

  • Wrongful Death
  • Motor Vehicle Accidents
  • Trucking Accidents
  • Pedestrian Accidents
  • Construction Accidents
  • Scaffolding Accidents
  • Slip, Trip & Falls (Premises Liability)
  • Negligent Supervision at a School or Day Care
  • Sidewalk Falls
  • Elevator Accidents
  • Train and Subway Accidents

Nursing Home Neglect & Abuse

  • Bedsores (Pressure Ulcers)
  • Falls & Fractures
  • Malnutrition and Dehydration
  • Physical and Sexual Abuse
  • Wandering & Elopement
  • Unexplained Bruises and Cuts
  • Infection
  • Choking Incidents
  • Medication Errors
  • Group Homes
  • Assisted Living Facilities

Criminal/DWI Defense

  • DWI (Driving While Intoxicated)
  • Criminal Defense
  • Traffic Violations
  • DMV Refusal Hearings
  • Sex Crimes
  • Shoplifting & Larceny
  • Assault & Vehicular Assault
  • Drug Possession
  • Drug Sales
  • Weapons Charges
  • Domestic Violence
  • How is a DWI Defined in New York?
  • Is the Driver’s License Confiscated Immediately Upon a DWI Arrest?

Medical Malpractice

  • Failure to Diagnose Cancer
  • Birth Injuries (Gynecological, Obstetrical)
  • Medication Errors
  • Surgical Errors
  • Gastric Bypass Surgery Errors
  • Emergency Room Errors
  • Failure to Diagnose Heart Attack or Stroke
  • Cerebral Palsy
  • Erbs Palsy Birth Injury

Trusts + Estates

  • Wills & Trusts
  • Divorce, Child Support, Custody Issues
  • Elder Law
  • Estate Planning
  • Guardianships
  • Medicaid-Planning
  • Power of Attorney / Health Care Proxy
  • Probate and Estate Administration
  • Surrogate Court Litigation
  • Real Estate
  • Business Formation
  • Wills
  • Will Contests

View All Practice Areas

View All Blogs

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

" Last year I was injured in an accident, and for the first time, needed the advice of an attorney regarding how to proceed. I was referred to Thomas Gallivan through a family member who is a lawyer in Massachusetts. I am beyond pleased with how Thomas handled my case. He was knowledgeable, professional, and although the case was not as straightforward as some, he used every resource to ensure a positive outcome. Thomas communicated with me regularly and I felt completely informed and confident in his ability. He expertly negotiated a fair settlement that I was very happy with. The entire experience was extremely positive, during a stressful time for me. Thank you Thomas. "

Melanie

" Attorney Thomas Gallivan is a wonderful attorney!! I particularly liked his professionalism, consistency, always kept us updated on the case, and available upon request. He worked extremely hard and was persistent on getting the best settlement in a timely matter. I truly appreciated his prompt responsiveness to emails and phone calls. The office staff was very pleasant and made sure to get messages to him asap. Glad we chose this law firm, would highly recommend and in the event that we ever need an attorney again, Gallivan & Gallivan would be my primary choice. "

Katherine R.

" I was a passenger on a motorcycle and ended up falling off the back of the bike due to the driver acting like an idiot. I fell off at a high rate of speed and was very banged up. Fractured wrist and road rash down my back and elbows. I am lucky I didnt die. Not knowing what to do I contacted Thomas and he could not have been anymore helpful!! He went out of his way to meet with me. He actually came to my house for the initial consultation. I know nothing about law or what my options even were. He took me through everything step by step. "

Colin W.

View All Testimonials

245 Main St Suite 450 White Plains, NY 10601

Phone:
(914) 220-1086

Fax:
(516) 394-4229

555 5th Ave 14th Floor
New York, NY 10017

Toll Free:
(855) 228-7369

(By Appointment Only)

1370 RXR Plaza
Uniondale, NY 11556

Phone:
(914) 594-6820

Fax:
(516) 394-4229

12 1st St
Riverhead, NY 11901

Phone:
(914) 825-5855

Fax:
(516) 394-4229

Footer

  • Home
  • About
  • Practice Areas
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Contact Us

ATTORNEY ADVERTISING

Copyright © 2022, Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC