Opinion ID: 894476
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Consequences of this Construction

Text: Finally, we believe that the consequences of Ramirez's interpretation of subsection (d) would undermine the purpose of the statute. The effect of such a decision would be to place physicians who act as Good Samaritans in the impracticable position of having to disprove every possible legal theory by which they might be legally entitled to compensation for emergency care. Ramirez's approach would have the exception swallow the rule. Contrary to the statute's purpose, there would be little if any incentive for doctors to render emergency care if they could be entitled to remuneration under some unarticulated legal theory. See 59 S.W.3d at 831 (Patterson, J., dissenting). Ramirez contends that the court of appeals' opinion does not frustrate public policy for three reasons. First, she observes that the applicable standard of care for a physician responding to an emergency already takes into account the emergency circumstances. Second, she asserts that hospitals already have incentives to provide emergency care by requiring staff doctors to agree to respond to emergency pages. Third, she notes that the record contains no evidence that Dr. McIntyre responded to the emergency page because he knew that he would be sheltered from liability. These arguments challenge the policies behind the enactment of the Good Samaritan statute. Our role here, however, is not to second-guess the policy choices that inform our statutes or to weigh the effectiveness of their results; rather, our task is to interpret those statutes in a manner that effectuates the Legislature's intent.