1 3
J U LY 2 0 1 5 | O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T
bill say that malpractice cases
may be prevented if docs know
they are being watched.
The bill, called the "Julie
Ayer Rubenzer Law," was
inspired by the story of a
woman who died from an
anesthesia overdose in Florida
in 2003. Ms. Rubenzer was
undergoing a breast augmenta-
tion surgery in Florida when
her surgeon — who did not have an anesthesia provider present in the
room — gave Ms. Rubenzer too much propofol, according to court
records. She fell into a coma and died several days later. Prosecutors
declined to press charges against the doctor, though he did eventually
lose his license.
Following the incident, Ms. Rubenzer's brother formed the National
Organization for Medical Malpractice Victims and began pushing for
black boxes in the OR that could be used to prosecute cases like his
sister's. Not all are pleased with the proposed law.
"Improving the quality and safety of care takes hard work, communi-
cation and commitment. Those efforts will hardly be furthered by this
proposal, and it may in fact do just the opposite," says the Wisconsin
Hospital Association. "We are disappointed with this legislation and the
rationale behind its creation."
Though efforts to install cameras in the OR are continuing to garner
attention, the movement is still in its early stages. While the bill, if
approved, would be the first of its kind in the country, it's not expected to
pass the legislature this year.
The Virginia man who was repeatedly mocked and insulted while he
InstaPoll
Are surveillance cameras
in the OR a good idea?
yes 39%
no 41%
unsure 20%
SOURCE: Outpatient Surgery
Magazine InstaPoll, June 2015,
n=246
