Opinion ID: 1057568
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Hospital Liability To Patients

Text: The issue presented on appeal is whether Mrs. Barkes may recover against River Park Hospital under a direct theory of negligence. The jury found the hospital 100% at fault for failing to enforce its written policies and procedures in the course of Mr. Barkes' treatment. We therefore must determine whether Tennessee law permits a cause of action against a hospital for failing to enforce its policies and procedures in patient care. We have not previously addressed the doctrine of corporate negligence as to hospitals, and we need neither adopt nor reject it to resolve this appeal. Instead, we rely on prior Tennessee decisions permitting direct negligence actions against hospitals that have failed to exercise reasonable care in discharging duties owed directly to patients. For example, in Thompson v. Methodist Hosp., this Court stated that [t]he measure of duty of a hospital is to exercise that degree of care, skill, and diligence used by hospitals generally in that community. 211 Tenn. 650, 367 S.W.2d 134 (1962) (quoting 41 C.J.S. Hospitals § 8). We also have affirmed hospital liability where the hospital failed to discharge its duty to make its premises safe. Pullins v. Fentress County Gen. Hosp., 594 S.W.2d 663, 670 (Tenn.1979). Furthermore, we have stated that a hospital is required to exercise such reasonable care toward a patient as his known condition may require, and the extent and character of this care depends upon the circumstances of each case, O'Quin v. Baptist Mem'l Hosp., 184 Tenn. 570, 201 S.W.2d 694, 697 (1947), and that [w]hen a patient enters a hospital ... he is entitled to such reasonable attention as his safety may require. James v. Turner, 184 Tenn. 563, 201 S.W.2d 691, 694 (1941). Tennessee law clearly recognizes that hospitals owe a duty of reasonable care to their patients and may be directly liable to patients independent of any liability based on the hospital's employees or agents. As such, Mrs. Barkes' cause of action against River Park is cognizable in Tennessee, and the Court of Appeals erred when it held that there was no basis on which River Park could be held directly liable to Mrs. Barkes.