McKee gives RI's hospitals protection from lawsuits during pandemic

Gov. Dan McKee has granted Rhode Island hospitals new liability protection during the COVID-19 pandemic.

An executive order McKee signed last week said licensed hospitals and their workers "are not liable for civil damages arising out of the level or manner of care received by a patient ... if such care has been affected by shortages in staffing and/or supplies."

Hospitals and other health-care facilities have lost thousands of workers since the start of the pandemic, leading to long emergency-room waits and fewer beds available in intensive-care units.

According to the executive order, hospital executives believe the threat of lawsuits is contributing to the staffing crisis and can "hinder staff recruitment, constrain medical professional judgment and limit the hospitals’ flexibility to adjust medical staff to patient ratios..."

Read more: https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/politics/2021/12/29/mckee-gives-ri-hospitals-liability-protection-during-covid-staffing-shortage/9034346002/