Opinion ID: 2084684
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 13

Heading: Evidence of the Standard of Care

Text: We do not accept Atwood's argument that plaintiffs failed to offer sufficient expert testimony to establish the standard of care for a professional medical-group practice, such as Atwood, that provides on-call medical care to its patients if and when they are hospitalized. Doctor Schneider articulated that the standard of care required that Atwood have a formal backup system in place so that a physician who is on call for the group, such as Dr. Warshaw in this instance, may call upon other doctors within the group for assistance in the event of a large number of calls or other unforeseen circumstances and emergencies so patients do not go without adequate and timely care. In our opinion, Dr. Schneider adequately established the standard of care that governed the alleged duty Atwood owed to Gianquitti, and whether to accept or reject his opinion was up to the jury. Over defendant's objection, the trial justice permitted Dr. Schneider to testify about his opinion on the standard of care that applied to Atwood, and also that Atwood deviated from that standard by failing to have a backup system in place. Atwood, however, argues that Dr. Schneider was not credible because he was a retired solo practitioner turned lawyer and that he was not presented as an expert. It is well settled that it is improper to evaluate a witness's credibility on a review of a Rule 50 motion, Calise, 900 A.2d at 1167-68; therefore, we decline to disturb the trial justice's ruling based on plaintiffs' assessment of the credibility of defendant's expert. Further, the trial justice acted within her discretion to allow Dr. Schneider to give expert testimony about the standard of care for providing on-call coverage. See Franco, 916 A.2d at 1260 (the decision to allow an expert opinion is within the sound discretion of the trial justice and will be disturbed only for an abuse of that discretion). Any doctor with knowledge of or familiarity with the procedure, acquired through experience, observation, association, or education, is competent to testify concerning the requisite standard of care and whether the care in any given case deviated from that standard. Sheeley v. Memorial Hospital, 710 A.2d 161, 166 (R.I.1998). Doctor Schneider was a physician who specialized in internal medicine and who testified that he had experience practicing within a group of physicians that would set up policies and practices for providing coverage for themselves during vacations and weekends. He gave the basis for his opinions, and they were properly elicited at trial through a series of hypothetical questions predicated on facts that were in evidence. See R.I. R.Evid. 703 ([a]n expert's opinion may be based on a hypothetical question, facts or data perceived by the expert at or before the hearing, or facts or data in evidence).