Under Tennessee law, a doctor who operates on a patient generally faces liability for three potential claims if something goes wrong:
- Medical battery, which means that the doctor performed a procedure that the patient did not authorize;[1]
- Medical malpractice – traditionally known as “negligence” or “medical negligence,” and now referred to as “health care liability” under Tennessee law – which means that the doctor’s performance fell below the recognized standard of acceptable professional practice in the doctor’s community;[2] and
- Lack of informed consent, which means that the doctor failed to provide sufficient information to the patient to allow him or her to evaluate the risks of the procedure that was performed.[3]
In Ike J. White, III v. David A. Beeks, M.D., the Tennessee Supreme Court addressed Continue reading Doctors must prospectively disclose all significant medical risks to their patients—not just those risks that ultimately cause harm, holds Tennessee Supreme Court.