Vicarious liability is liability that a supervisory party bears for the actionable conduct of a subordinate or associate because of the relationship between the two parties. There are two types of vicarious liability: respondeat superior and agency. Read more

Medical Practice Act: Each state has enacted regulations that govern the practice of medicine, codified in legislation known as the medical practice act. Physicians who violate these regulations may be subject to disciplinary actions. State Medical Boards: State medical boards are tasked with licensing medical doctors, investigating complaints from others about physicians, disciplining physicians who violate the state’s medical malpractice act, and referring physicians for evaluation and rehabilitation when necessary. Read more

A medical malpractice action is a lawsuit brought by a patient against a physician or other medical provider in order to receive financial compensation for injury sustained by the patient or, in the case of suicide, their survivors, due to negligent medical care. Malpractice actions also serve to deter physicians from unsafe medical practice and to exact corrective justice. Read more

Impaired Physician: In 1973, the American Medical Association (AMA) defined an impaired physician as one who is unable to fulfill professional and personal responsibilities because of a psychiatric illness, alcoholism, or drug dependency. Read more