Court Opinion

ID: 9665540
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 00:51:04.436388+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:15:16.535388
License: Public Domain

OLIVER-PARROTT, Chief Justice,
concurring.
I concur in the majority’s finding a fact issue as to whether there is potential liability on the part of a psychiatric hospital in this particular case. In light of the dissent’s comments, however, I believe it is important to emphasize that this ease does not involve a vague right to control the physician’s admission and treatment of patients with general allegations of physician negligence. The plaintiffs asserted they were injured by being unnecessarily restrained in a mental health facility. They asserted they spoke directly to the hospital staff and requested release. The staff psychiatrist and defendant doctor testified specifically that the utilization review committee could overrule an admitting physician and discharge any patient if their admission or treatment was inappropriate. There is, therefore, at least a fact issue as to the hospital’s own negligence and its ability to control the admitting physician insofar as timely discharge.