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Chapter 10 Medical Staff Organization and Malpractice Medical Director

▸ MEDICAL DIRECTOR The medical director serves as a liaison between the medical staff and the

organization’s governing body and management. The medical director should

have clearly written agreements with the organization, including duties,

responsibilities, and compensation arrangements. State nursing home codes

often provide for the designation of either a full-time or part-time physician to

serve as medical director. The responsibilities of a medical director include

enforcing the bylaws of the governing body and medical staff and monitoring

the quality of medical care in the organization.

The medical director of an organization can be liable for failing to perform his

or her duties and responsibilities. When a Texas nursing home was indicted by

a grand jury in 1981 for the deaths of several residents, the medical director

was also indicted. His plea that he merely signed papers and attended

meetings did not absolve him of the responsibility to ensure the adequacy and

the appropriateness of medical services in the organization.

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