Profession

Grand jury convenes in Katrina physician case

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted March 12, 2007

Print  |   Email  |   Respond  |   Reprints  |   Like Facebook  |   Share Twitter  |   Tweet Linkedin

A 16-member grand jury was empanelled in February to investigate the alleged murder of four patients at New Orleans' Memorial Medical Center after Hurricane Katrina.

Last summer, Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti Jr. arrested Anna Maria Pou, MD, and nurses Lori Budo and Cheri Landry, accusing them of conspiring to murder the patients using a lethal combination of morphine and sedatives. The three professionals were not formally charged, however, and Foti referred the case to Orleans Parish District Attorney Eddie Jordan.

Jordan's case was made tougher when Orleans Parish Coroner Frank Minyard announced in January that he had classified the deaths as "undetermined" -- not homicides -- after months of consultation with forensic experts from around the country. Jordan said he would let the grand jury decide whether murder charges are warranted. Dr. Pou, Budo and Landry maintain their innocence and say they were trying to relieve their patients' pain in a chaotic hospital environment where they worked for days in 100-degree heat without power or adequate supplies.

The Louisiana State Medical Society and the American Medical Association issued statements last fall calling for a fair trial for the women and expressing their sympathy for all the health care professionals who struggled to care for patients in the post-Katrina aftermath. The three women were released on their own recognizance last summer.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2007/03/12/prbf0312.htm.

Back to top


ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISE HERE


Featured
Read story

Confronting bias against obese patients

Medical educators are starting to raise awareness about how weight-related stigma can impair patient-physician communication and the treatment of obesity. Read story


Read story

Goodbye

American Medical News is ceasing publication after 55 years of serving physicians by keeping them informed of their rapidly changing profession. Read story


Read story

Policing medical practice employees after work

Doctors can try to regulate staff actions outside the office, but they must watch what they try to stamp out and how they do it. Read story


Read story

Diabetes prevention: Set on a course for lifestyle change

The YMCA's evidence-based program is helping prediabetic patients eat right, get active and lose weight. Read story


Read story

Medicaid's muddled preventive care picture

The health system reform law promises no-cost coverage of a lengthy list of screenings and other prevention services, but some beneficiaries still might miss out. Read story


Read story

How to get tax breaks for your medical practice

Federal, state and local governments offer doctors incentives because practices are recognized as economic engines. But physicians must know how and where to find them. Read story


Read story

Advance pay ACOs: A down payment on Medicare's future

Accountable care organizations that pay doctors up-front bring practice improvements, but it's unclear yet if program actuaries will see a return on investment. Read story


Read story

Physician liability: Your team, your legal risk

When health care team members drop the ball, it's often doctors who end up in court. How can physicians improve such care and avoid risks? Read story

  • Stay informed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • LinkedIn