Virginia: Patient Falls – a Lawyer’s Videos

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The deposition videotape of Joann Rae “Jodi” Friend, Director of Risk Management for Riverside Health System, whose office is located at Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News, Virginia, was taken on October 29, 2008. It is the second of 22 to be launched on Mr. Waterman’s website from his medical malpractice trial during November 26-December 7, 2013, Burrell v. Riverside Hospital, Inc., No. CL1101633F in Newport News Circuit Court.

On November 27, 2012, Ms. Friend was called as one of Plaintiff’s early case-in-chief witnesses. In videotape deposition, Ms. Friend testified why and how she as Riverside’s Risk Manager “waived,” i.e., wrote off, the Burrell brain injury victim’s unpaid hospital bill balance by Authorization to Charge to Risk Management, id. at 12-14 – which Plaintiff at trial unsuccessfully sought to introduce as an admission or statement against by conduct under the circumstances, and which adverse ruling Plaintiff has preserved for cross-appeal.

Also in videotaped deposition, Ms. Friend identified a Quality Management System (“QMS”) Transaction Summary a/k/a the “expenditure report” printout of Riverside Hospital, Inc. for the Risk Management waiver re the patient fall victim in Burrell.  QMS and Midas are computer program databases of Riverside Hospital, Inc., including for risk management purposes. Id. at 21-25.