Dicioccio v. Chung
Dicioccio v. Chung
Opinion of the Court
Memorandum Opinion
Before the Court are the Motion for Partial Summary Judgment of Defendant Pottstown Hospital Company, LLC (which operates Pottstown Memorial Medical Center, or “PMMC”), the Motion for Summary Judgment of Defendant Don Y.
I. BACKGROUND
This case concerns Hendrieo F. Salata, Sr.’s death less than twenty-four hours after his discharge from PMMC, where he had arrived two days earlier complaining of chest pain. The following facts are not in dispute.
A cardiac monitor attached during the primary assessment showed that Mr. Sala-ta’s pulses were palpable, strong, and intact.
“Observation” is one of three statuses that patients at PMMC may be assigned, with the other two options being “inpatient” admission or “outpatient” treatment.
However, Dr. Chung testified that he decided to place Mr. Salata in “observation” rather than to admit him as an “inpatient,” that it is always the physician who “makes the determination whether someone is merely there for observation versus [] being admitted to the hospital,” and that the distinction between admitting someone inpatient versus placing them in observation status is based on “clinical criteria.”
At 12:20 p.m., approximately nine hours after arrival, Mr. Salata was noted as having some chest discomfort while eating.
At 10:30 a.m., Mr. Salata suffered an episode of “severe substernal burning,” but no one notified Dr. Patel or Ms. Speel-hoffer.
Mr. Salata was discharged at approximately 11:30 a.m. on May 29.
Plaintiff, as administrator of Mr. Sala-ta’s estate, then filed suit in this Court against PMMC, Dr. Chung, and Dr. Patel, alleging five claims: (1) wrongful death against all Defendants; (2) a survival action against all Defendants; (3) negligence against all Defendants; (4) corporate negligence against PMMC; and (5) a failure-to-stabilize claim under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (“EMTALA”) against PMMC.
II. LEGAL STANDARD
A court will award summary judgment on a claim or part of a claim where there is “no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.”
In evaluating a summary judgment motion, a court “must view the facts in the light most favorable to the non-moving party,” and make every reasonable inference in that party’s favor.
III. DISCUSSION
A. PMMC’s Motion for Summary Judgment
PMMC moves for summary judgment on Plaintiffs EMTALA claim, arguing that: (1) Mr. Salata’s admission to the primary care unit for observation ended its duty to stabilize under EMTALA and therefore precludes liability; and (2) Plaintiff cannot satisfy the requirements for an EMTALA failure-to-stabilize claim. Because the parties invoke EMTALA’s text, statutory purpose, and implementing regulations in arguing their positions, the Court provides a brief background.
“Congress enacted EMTALA in the mid-1980s based on concerns that, due to economic constraints, hospitals either were refusing to treat certain emergency room patients or transferring them to other institutions”—a practice known as “patient dumping.”
1. Whether Mr. Salata’s Admission for Observation Precludes EMTALA Liability
PMMC first argues that its EMTA-LA stabilization duties ended when it placed Mr. Salata in observation, and that it therefore cannot be held liable for failing to stabilize Mr. Salata.
EMTALA’s text is ambiguous regarding whether Mr. Salata’s admission for observation cuts off liability, and there is a dearth of case law on the subject as well. However, regulations bearing on this issue have been promulgated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”), the agency within the Department of Health and Human Services responsible for implementing EMTALA.
The CMS regulations provide a limited exception to EMTALA’s obligations, but only in the event that a hospital “admits
This conclusion is reinforced by CMS’s Healthcare Benefit Policy Manual, in which CMS expressly defines “observation status” as an outpatient status, as opposed to an inpatient status.
PMMC raises three arguments as to why admission for observation precludes EMTALA liability. First, PMMC advances a strained interpretation of the CMS regulations, arguing that “inpatient” can be defined to include patients placed in observation status.
an individual who is admitted to a hospital for bed occupancy for purposes of receiving inpatient hospital services as described in § 409.10(a) of this chapter with the expectation that he or she will remain at least overnight and occupy a bed even though the situation later develops that the individual can be discharged or transferred to another hospital and does not actually use a hospital bed overnight.58
PMMC then turns to § 409.10(a), which defines “inpatient hospital services” as including a variety of services, including “bed and board,” “nursing services,” and other similar services.
PMMC points to the District of Massachusetts’ decision in Bryson v. Milford Regional Medical Center, Inc., in support of its interpretation, but that case is not binding on this Court and does not discuss the CMS regulations.
Second, PMMC argues that ending EM-TALA liability once a patient is admitted for observation best accords with the 'statute’s purpose. PMMC reasons that EM-TALA was designed to prevent the “dumping” of uninsured or underinsured patients, and that an individual’s admission for observation fulfills this goal, similar to inpatient admission.
Third, PMMC argues that the record shows that “the classification between an inpatient and observation admission at PMMC is purely a financial or insurance classification,” and so Mr. Salata should be treated as having been admitted as an inpatient.
In short, the CMS regulations and guidance make clear that admission for observation does not end a hospital’s EMTALA obligations, and PMMC’s arguments to the contrary are not persuasive. Summary judgment on this ground will be denied.
2. Whether Plaintiff Satisfies the Requirements for an EMTALA Stabilization Claim
PMMC also argues that Plaintiff cannot make out the three elements of an EMTA-LA failure-to-stabilize claim. To do so, Plaintiff must show: (l)-Mr. Salata “had an emergency medical condition; (2) the hospital actually knew of that condition; and (3) [Mr. Salata] was not stabilized before being transferred.”
a. Emergency Medical Condition
Regarding the first element, EMTALA defines an “emergency medical condition” as:
a medical condition manifesting itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity (including severe pain) such that the absence of immediate medical attention could reasonably be expected to result in—(i) placing the health of the individual (or, with respect to a pregnant woman, the health of the woman or her unborn child) in serious jeopardy, (ii) serious impairment to bodily functions, or (iii) serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part... .72
PMMC acknowledges that unstable angina constitutes an emergency medical condition,
However, there is also evidence that could establish that Mr. Salata was suffering from an emergency medical condition at discharge. Dr. Chung initially noted that Mr. Salata’s pain might be caused by an unstable angina, PMMC never performed the stress test necessary to rule this out as the cause, and Mr. Salata was ultimately sent home with discharge in
b. Actual Knowledge
Regarding the second element of a failure-to-stabilize claim, Plaintiff must show that PMMC had actual knowledge of Mr. Salata’s emergency medical condition at the time of discharge, as PMMC cannot be held liable under EMTALA for conditions it did not detect.
This assertion is belied by the record. Mr. Salata’s primary assessment revealed cardiac risk factors, Dr. Chung identified unstable angina as a possible cause of Mr. Salata’s symptoms, the stress test necessary to rule out that diagnosis was never performed, and Mr. Salata was discharged with instructions for “acute coronary syndrome,” all of which could evidence actual knowledge on PMMC’s part.
c. Stabilization
Finally, PMMC argues that Plaintiff cannot establish the third element of an EMTALA claim because Mr. Salata was stabilized prior to discharge.
Here, too, PMMC glosses over conflicting evidence. As discussed, there is evidence that Mr. Salata suffered severe sub-sternal burning shortly before discharge (of which Dr. Patel was never made aware), that his chest pain had been intermittent all along (meaning that its absence at the time of discharge may not be particularly noteworthy), and that unstable angina was never ruled out as the cause of his symptoms, in part because certain testing was never done.
B. Dr. Chung’s Motion for Summary Judgment
Dr. Chung moves for summary judgment on the three state-law claims against him (the survival action, wrongful death, and negligence claims), all of which are predicated on medical malpractice. Dr. Chung argues that Plaintiff has failed to present expert evidence that Dr. Chung deviated from the applicable standard of care, and that this is fatal to Plaintiffs claims.
“[T]o prevail in a medical malpractice action, a plaintiff must establish a duty owed by the physician to the patient, a breach of that duty by the physician, that the breach was the proximate cause of the harm suffered, and the damages suffered were a direct result of the harm.”
Dr. Chung argues that Plaintiff has failed to present such expert testimony because Dr. Rubin does not offer any criticism of Dr. Chung’s actions on May 28, when he evaluated Mr. Salata, and Dr. Rubin’s opinion focuses on Mr. Salata’s May 29 discharge, when Dr. Chung was admittedly not present at PMMC.
Despite this, Dr. Chung argues that Dr. Rubin’s opinion is insufficient based on certain answers Dr. Rubin gave at his deposition. First, Dr. Chung argues that Dr. Rubin admitted that he had “no criticism” of Dr. Chung’s actions on May 28, and therefore effectively repudiated his criticisms of Dr. Chung.
Next, Dr. Chung argues that Dr. Rubin’s criticisms focus entirely on other individuals at PMMC, pointing to Dr. Rubin’s testimony that Mr. Salata’s cardiologist “was responsible for his poor recommendations, [and] lack of treatment of the patient.”
Finally, Dr. Chung cites snippets of testimony in which Dr. Rubin apparently cannot remember the names of particular individuals at PMMC or whether certain events occurred on May 28 or May 29, but these criticisms go to the weight of his testimony, not the viability of Plaintiffs claims.
C. Dr. Patel’s Motion to Dismiss
Lastly, Dr. Patel argues that if Plaintiffs EMTALA claim is dismissed, this case should be dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.
IV. CONCLUSION
For the reasons stated above, Defendants’ motions will be denied. An appropriate Order will be entered.
. The facts are taken from PMMC’s statement of stipulated material facts unless otherwise noted, and are largely relevant to PMMC’s motion. Doc. No. 72. While Dr. Chung does not necessarily agree with the facts as PMMC presents them, Doc. No. 77 (Dr. Chung’s Motion for Summary Judgment) at 3-5, any factual disagreements among Defendants are immaterial to the Court's decision.
. Doc. No. 72 ¶ 2.
. Id. ¶ 3.
. Id. ¶¶ 5-6.
. Id. ¶ 8.
. Id. ¶ 11.
. Id. ¶ 15.
. Id. ¶ 18.
. Id.n 16-17.
. Id. ¶ 27(a) (quoting Dr. Chung as testifying that at PMMC, there are "three kind[s] of places that a patient can go: One, admit to inpatient; two, place in observation; three, outpatient”).
. Id. ¶ 24.
. Id. II26.
. Id. ¶¶ 27(b)-(d).
. Id. ¶ 27(e).
. Id.
. Id. ¶¶ 20, 23.
. Id. ¶ 27.
. Id. ¶ 28.
. Doc. No. 77-1 (Dr. Chung’s Statement of Stipulated Material Facts) ¶ 4.
. Doc. No. 72 ¶ 30.
. Id. ¶ 32.
. Id. ¶¶ 33-35.
. Id. ¶¶ 36, 41, 42.
. Id. ¶ 37.
. Id.
. Id. ¶ 38.
. Id. ¶ 39.
. Id. ¶ 40.
. Id.
. Doc. No. 1 (Complaint). The Court has jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1331 because Plaintiff's EMTALA claim arises under federal law, and exercises supplemental jurisdiction over Plaintiff's state-law claims under 28 U.S. Code § 1367.
. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a).
. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986).
. Id.
. Hugh v. Butler Cty. Family YMCA, 418 F.3d 265, 267 (3d Cir. 2005).
. Boyle v. Cty. of Allegheny Pa., 139 F.3d 386, 393 (3d Cir. 1998).
. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322-23, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986).
. Anderson, 477 U.S. at 249-50, 106 S.Ct. 2505 (internal citations omitted).
. Walden v. Saint Gobain Corp., 323 F.Supp.2d 637, 641 (E.D. Pa. 2004) (citing Goodman v. Mead Johnson & Co., 534 F.2d 566, 573 (3d Cir. 1976)).
. Wisniewski v. Johns-Manville Corp., 812 F.2d 81, 83 (3d Cir. 1987).
. Torretti v. Main Line Hosps., Inc., 580 F.3d 168, 172-73 (3d Cir. 2009) (citations omitted).
. Id. at 173. The parties have stipulated that PMMC is a "participating hospital" subject to EMTALA's requirements. Doc. No. 72 ¶ 1.
. Torretti, 580 F.3d at 173 (citing 42 U.S.C. § 1395dd(d)). A hospital also may be held vicariously liable under EMTALA for the actions of its medical personnel. Id. at 173 n.8 (citing Burditt v. HHS, 934 F.2d 1362, 1374 (5th Cir. 1991)).
. Id. (citations omitted).
. Id. at 174; see also Delibertis v. Pottstown Hosp. Co., 152 F.Supp.3d 394, 399 (E.D. Pa. 2016) ("[L]iability [under EMTALA] is determined independently of whether any deficiencies in the screening or treatment provided by the hospital may be actionable as negligence or malpractice.”).
.Doc. No. 76 (PMMC’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment) at 1-3. The relevant provision of EMTALA, 42 U.S.C. § 1395dd(b)(l), provides:
If any individual (whether or not eligible for benefits under this subchapter) comes to a hospital and the hospital determines that the individual has an emergency medical condition, the hospital must provide either—
(A) within the staff and facilities available at the hospital, for such further medical examination and such treatment as may be required to stabilize the medical condition, or
(B) for transfer of the individual to another medical facility in accordance with subsection (c) of this section.
. See, e.g., Bryant v. Adventist Health Sys./W., 289 F.3d 1162, 1168 (9th Cir. 2002) ("We hold that EMTALA's stabilization requirement ends when an individual is admitted for inpatient care.”); Bryan v. Rectors & Visitors of Univ. of Va., 95 F.3d 349, 350 (4th Cir. 1996) ("[The plaintiffs] essential contention is that EMTALA imposed upon the hospital an obligation not only to admit [the patient] for treatment of her emergency condition, which concededly was done, but thereafter continuously to ‘stabilize’ her condition, no matter how long treatment was required to maintain that condition. Such a theory requires a reading of the critical stabilization requirement in subsection (b)(1) of EMTALA that we cannot accept.”). Notably, the Sixth Circuit has refused to endorse this view, and does not consider inpatient admission a defense to EMTA-LA liability. See Moses v. Providence Hosp. & Med. Ctrs., Inc., 561 F.3d 573, 583 (6th Cir. 2009) (holding that “a hospital may not release a patient with an emergency medical condition without first determining that the patient has actually stabilized, even if the hospital properly admitted the patient”).
. See Hollinger v. Reading Health Sys., Civil Action No. 15-5249, 2016 WL 3762987, at *9 (E.D. Pa. July 14, 2016) (concluding that "inpatient admission [is] a defense to EMTALA liability permitted that admission was not a deliberate effort to ¿void EMTALA obligations”); Mazurkiewicz v. Doylestown Hosp., 305 F.Supp.2d 437, 447 (E.D. Pa. 2004) ("[T]he most persuasive synthesis of the law on admission as a defense to EMTALA liability is that admission is a defense so long as admission is not a subterfuge.”).
. See Torretti, 580 F.3d at 174 (looking to CMS regulations for guidance regarding the scope of EMTALA liability); see generally Chevron USA, Inc. v. Natural Res. Defense Council, Inc., 467 U.S. 837, 843 & n.9, n.11, 104 S.Ct. 2778, 81 L.Ed.2d 694 (1984) (explaining that when an agency with the power to construe a statute has provided a construction, courts should defer to that interpretation if it is permissible).
. Torretti, 580 F.3d at 174 (citations omitted).
. See Doc. No. 76 at 2; Doc. No. 88 (Plaintiff’s Response to PMMC's Motion for Partial Summary Judgment) at 2-3.
. 42 C.F.R. § 489.24(d)(2)(i) (“If a hospital has screened an individual under paragraph (a) of this section and found the individual to have an emergency medical condition, and admits that individual as an inpatient in good faith in order to stabilize the emergency medical condition, the hospital has satisfied its special responsibilities under this section with respect to that individual.”) (emphasis added).
. Medicare Program; Clarifying Policies Related to the Responsibilities of Medicare-Participating Hospitals in Treating Individuals With Emergency Medical Conditions, 68 Fed. Reg. 53,222, 53,245 (Sept. 9, 2003) (emphasis added); see generally Torretti, 580 F.3d at 174 (explaining that the 2003 "Regulation and Final Rule address where and when EMTALA applies”).
CMS issued another Final Rule in 2008 that again clarified the scope of EMTALA but retained the carve-out for individuals admitted as inpatients. See Medicare Program; Changes to the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems and Fiscal Year 2009 Rates; Payments for Graduate Medical Education in Certain Emergency Situations; Changes to Disclosure of Physician Ownership in Hospitals and Physician Self-Referral Rules; Updates to the Long-Term Care Prospective Payment System; Updates to Certain IPPS-Excluded Hospitals; and Collection of Information Regarding Financial Relationships Between Hospitals, 73 Fed. Reg. 48,434, 48,-661 (Aug. 19, 2008) (“[W]e are clarifying the EMTALA regulations at § 489.24(f) with respect to hospital inpatients by stating that once an individual is admitted in good faith by the admitting hospital, the admitting hospital has satisfied its EMTALA obligation with respect to that individual....”).
. Ctrs. for Medicare & Medicaid Servs., S & C-09-26, Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) 2009 Final Rule Revisions to Emergency Med. Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) Regulations (Mar. 6, 2009), available at https:// www.cms.gov/Medicare/Provider-Enrollment- and-Certification/SurveyCertificationGenlnfo/ Downloads/SCLetter09-26.pdf (emphasis added).
. Thomas Jefferson Univ. v. Shalala, 512 U.S. 504, 512, 114 S.Ct. 2381, 129 L.Ed.2d 405 (1994) (citations omitted).
. Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Ch. 6, § 20.6(B) ("When a physician orders that a patient receive observation care, the patient’s status is that of an outpatient.”). Other courts have found that the CMS Policy Manual is entitled to persuasive weight in similar contexts. See Estate of Landers v. Leavitt, 545 F.3d 98, 107 (2d Cir. 2008) (quoting United States v. Mead Corp., 533 U.S. 218, 221, 121 S.Ct. 2164, 150 L.Ed.2d 292 (2001)) (granting Skid-more deference to CMS policy manual regarding definition of "inpatient” and concluding that "CMS's interpretation is entitled to a great deal of persuasive weight”).
. Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Ch. 6, § 20.6(B).
. Doc. No. 85 (PMMC’s Reply in Support of Motion for Partial Summary Judgment) at 7-9.
. 42 C.F.R. § 489.24(b).
. 42 C.F.R. § 409.10(a).
. Ctrs. for Medicare & Medicaid Servs., S & C-09-26, Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) 2009 Final Rule Revisions to Emergency Med. Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) Regulations (Mar. 6, 2009), available at https:// www.cms.gov/Medicare/Provider-Enrolhnent- and-Certifícation/SurveyCertificationGenlnfo/ Downloads/SCLetter09-26.pdf.
. 68 Fed. Reg. at 53,247 (emphasis added).
. Civil Action No. 11-40052-TSH, 2014 WL 1327471, at *4-5 (D. Mass. Mar. 27, 2014).
. Id. at *5 ("The question of Plaintiff’s admission need not be answered, because the case turns on the question of the Plaintiff's appropriate transfer.”).
. The other cases cited by PMMC do not help its argument as they stand for the general rule that inpatient admission cuts off EM-TALA liability, but do not address the separate issue of whether placing a patient in observation status qualifies as inpatient admission under EMTALA. E.g., Hollinger, 2016 WL 3762987, at *9 (finding “in-patient admission a defense to EMTALA liability permitted that admission was not a deliberate effort to avoid EMTALA obligations”) (emphasis added).
. Doc. No. 85 at 6-7.
. Jacqueline Fox, Reforming Healthcare Reform, 50 U. Rich. L. Rev. 557, 577-578 (2016) ("Observation status floats in a precarious limbo in relation to EMTALA precisely because observation is often called for when it is unclear whether the patient is stable.”).
. See H.R. Rep. No. 99-241, pt. 3, at 27 (July 31, 1985), reprinted in 1986 U.S.C.C.A.N. 579, 605 ("EMTALA was enacted because Congress was concerned "that hospital emergency rooms [were] refusing to accept or treat patients with emergency conditions if the patient [did] not have medical insurance.”).
. Doc. No. 85 at 9. This "financial or insurance classification” has important consequences for patients. Inpatient services are covered under Medicare Part A, whereas outpatient services, including observation status, are covered under Part B, and "[t]he amount that a Medicare beneficiary pays out of pocket varies significantly based on whether the services provided were covered under Part A or Part B.” Barrows v. Burwell, 777 F.3d 106, 109 (2d Cir. 2015). Outpatient coverage under Part B is generally less favorable and requires "a co-payment for each service received,” whereas inpatient coverage under Part A will generally cover hospital services apart from a one-time deductible for the first 60 days in the hospital.” Id. In short, a patient placed in observation status may expect to foot a much larger medical bill than one admitted as an inpatient, even if they receive the same services.
. Doc. No. 72 ¶¶ 27(b)-(d).
.Id. ¶ 27(e). Sapssov v. Health Management Associates, cited by PMMC on this point, does not aid PMMC’s argument and instead explains that there are clinical distinctions between in-patient admission and observation status. See 22 F.Supp.3d 1210, 1215 (M.D. Fla. 2014) ("Inpatient status is generally reserved for patients in need of higher intensity services, while observation status patients require less intensive services or are still in diagnostic stages to determine if inpatient admission will be necessary.”).
. Torretti, 580 F.3d at 178 (quoting Baber v. Hosp. Corp. of Am., 977 F.2d 872, 883 (4th Cir. 1992)). Congress has defined "transfer” to include the discharge of a patient, as occurred here. 42 U.S.C. § 1395dd(e)(4).
. 42 U.S.C. § 1395dd(e)(l)(A).
. Doc. No. 85 at 16.
. Doc. No. 76 at 5.
. Doc. No. 85 at 15.
. Doc. No. 72 ¶¶ 18, 39, 41, 42.
. Doc. No. 72 ¶ 5-6; Doc. No. 82 at 11.
. Doc. No. 72 ¶¶ 33-35.
. Doc. No. 82, Ex. 3 (Opinion of Dr. Bruce D. Charash) at 8-9. PMMC argues that Dr. Charash’s opinion is relevant only to Plaintiffs state-law claims based on medical malpractice, Doc. No. 85 at 16-17, but Dr. Char-ash’s opinion clearly addresses the issue of whether Mr. Salata was suffering from an emergency medical condition at the time of discharge and thus is relevant to the EMTALA claim as well.
. Vickers v. Nash General Hospital, Inc., 78 F.3d 139, 145 (4th Cir. 1996), relied upon by PMMC, is inapposite as in that case the plaintiff failed to allege that the defendant hospital identified the emergency condition in question, whereas here it is undisputed PMMC identified unstable angina as a possible cause of Mr. Salata’s symptoms. PMMC also cites Delibertis, 152 F.Supp.3d at 402, but in that case the undisputed evidence showed that the patient was stable at the time of discharge and only deteriorated afterwards, whereas here there is evidence that Mr. Salata was unstable at the time of discharge.
. Torretti, 580 F.3d at 178.
. Doc. No. 76 at 5-6.
. Doc. No. 72 ¶¶ 18, 39, 41, 42.
. Id. ¶¶ 33-34.
. See Kauffman v. Franz, Civil Action No. 07-CV-5043, 2010 WL 1257958, at *3 (E.D. Pa. Mar. 26, 2010) (concluding that summary judgment on EMTALA claim was not warranted based on lack of actual knowledge because plaintiff presented to the hospital complaining of chest pains, which was sufficient to create an issue of material fact regarding defendants’ knowledge of an emergency medical condition).
. Doc. No. 76 at 6; Doc. No. 85 at 20-21.
. 42U.S.C. § 1395dd(e)(3)(B).
. PMMC argues that Dr. Chung’s earlier opinion that unstable angina might be the cause of Mr. Salata’s symptoms should be disregarded since Dr. Chung rendered that opinion the day before Mr. Salata’s discharge and was not involved with the discharge. Doc. No. 85 at 20. But Dr. Patel, the cardiologist involved in Mr. Salata’s discharge, also did not examine Mr. Salata immediately before his discharge and was never made aware of Mr. Salata's episode of severe substernal burning that morning, so it makes little sense to ignore Dr. Chung’s opinion while crediting Dr. Patel’s. In any event, this type of evidence-weighing is inappropriate for summary judgment and will be left to the factfinder.
. PMMC argues that expert testimony is insufficient to prove that Mr. Salata was unstable, relying on Torretti v. Paoli Memorial Hospital, No. 0912155, 2008 WL 8177876 (E.D. Pa. Jan. 28, 2008). Here, however, there is also non-expert evidence on this point. Moreover, the court in Torretti granted summary judgment because the plaintiffs could not show “actual knowledge,” not because expert testimony failed to establish that the patient in question was not stabilized. Id. ("Dr. Klein does not address what Dr. Gerson actually knew at the time, only what Dr. Gerson should have known. Dr. Klein’s opinion might be sufficient to sustain a medical malpractice claim but it is not enough to support a claim under EMTALA.”) (no pagination available).
. Doc. No. 77 at 2-4.
. Doc. No. 84 (Plaintiff’s Response to Dr. Chung’s Motion for Summary Judgment) at 7-10.
. Toogood v. Owen J. Rogal, D.D.S, P.C., 573 Pa. 245, 824 A.2d 1140, 1145 (2003) (citation and internal quotation marks omitted).
. Id. (citation omitted).
. Brown v. Hahnemann, 20 F.Supp.3d 538, 542 (E.D. Pa. 2014) (emphasis omitted).
. Doc. No. 77 at 1-2.
. Doc. No. 84-1 (Report of Brian R. Rubin, M.D.) at 4.
. Id. at 5.
. Compare with Delibertis, 152 F.Supp.3d at 403 (granting summary judgment on medical malpractice claim where plaintiff's expert failed to include any language in her report implicating doctor).
. Doc. No. 86 (Dr. Chung's Reply in Support of Motion for Summary Judgment) at 5.
. Doc. No. 84-1 at 4.
. Doc. No. 90-2 (Excerpt from the Deposition of Brian R. Rubin, M.D.) at 53:24-54:16 (testifying that "[o]nce [Dr. Chung] got the cardiologist's plan, he should have implemented a different—he should have gone another way.. .either speaking to the cardiologist directly or getting another cardiologist”).
. Doc. No. 86 at 5 (quoting Rubin Dep. Tr. at 87:14-88:2).
. Id.
.Id. at 5-6.
. Dr. Chung provides no case law in support of his position that the alleged problems with Dr. Rubin's deposition testimony are grounds for a summary judgment motion. Rather, Dr. Chung cites a series of cases for the general proposition that a plaintiff in a medical malpractice case must present expert testimony in support of his or her claims, but as explained. Dr. Rubin's testimony plainly satisfies this requirement, and Dr. Chung’s criticisms go only to weight.
. Doc. No. 78 (Dr. Patel’s Motion to Dismiss).
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Vincent S. DICIOCCIO, Esq., Administrator of the Estate of Hendrico F. Salata, Sr. v. Don Y. CHUNG, M.D.
- Cited By
- 3 cases
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- Published