Pennsylvania Medical Providers Will Face Treatment Denial Suit

The estate of a woman killed by her boyfriend can allege that two Pennsylvania medical centers unlawfully denied his voluntary request for in-patient mental health care before the incident, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court said.

A lower court correctly found that Pennsylvania’s Mental Health Procedures Act created a cause of action against Geisinger Medical Center, Alley Medical Center, and their employees for their alleged gross negligence and/or willful misconduct in denying Westley Wise’s requests for in-patient treatment, Chief Justice Debra Todd said in an April 25 opinion.

An individual’s act of presenting himself to an approved facility and orally requesting admission ...