Medical Error Read Online Free PDF

administrative assistant answered on the first ring.
    "This is Dr. Valentine. I'm trying to reach Dr. McIntyre. Is she there?"
    "I'm sorry, Doctor. She's left for the day."
    "Oh." Nick looked at his watch. A bit after four. Sort of early in the day for Anna to be leaving, but— "Well, what time does she usually get there in the morning?"
    The woman cleared her throat. "I've been told that Dr. McIntyre will be on leave for at least two weeks. Could someone else help you?"
    That didn't make sense. The likelihood that a junior faculty member in her first year would have two weeks of accrued leave, let alone be permitted to take it in one block, was about the same as a meteor hitting Neiman Marcus at noon tomorrow. Had the chairman suspended her? Was she in trouble over this patient death? If so, that made his call even more important.
    The assistant's voice interrupted Nick's thoughts. "Doctor?"
    "Sorry. I guess I could page her."
    He started to hang up when he heard a rattle of words and brought the receiver back to his ear. "What was that?"
    "I said her pager is sitting on her desk. I saw it just a few minutes ago. I really think she doesn't want to be disturbed."
    Nick could feel his temper bubbling to the surface. He shoved it down and tried to keep his voice calm. "All right, could you give me her home number?"
    "I'm afraid we can't do that. Why don't I transfer your call to the chairman's office? Maybe Dr. Fowler can help you."
    "No, don't bother. Thanks." Nick hung up before she could respond. He didn't want to go through Neil Fowler to contact Anna. And he didn't want to leave a message. It was dawning on him that what he wanted was to see Anna McIntyre again.
    He swiveled back to his computer and looked at the screen. He sighed and closed the document. Then he logged on to the Internet. It shouldn't be hard to find Anna.

    Being home didn't defuse Anna's anger and frustration. She took the time for a quick shower and a change into more casual clothes. Back in her living room, she pulled a folder from her desk drawer, kicked off her loafers, and slumped into an easy chair with a Diet Coke and the cordless phone, ready to do battle with the credit card company.
    She flipped through the folder until she found her last MasterCard bill. She dialed the wrong number once, then navigated a maze of electronic commands, entered her account number, and confirmed her mother's maiden name to an operator who seemed only mildly interested in the process. Finally, she was able to speak to someone about her problem.
    "How may I help you?" said the slightly accented voice on the other end of the line.
    "My card was declined today because I'm supposedly over my credit limit. I have my last statement right here. I made a payment only a week ago, and I should be nowhere near my limit. Can you tell me what's going on?"
    "I'm so sorry." The operator's tone didn't match the words, but Anna figured that she'd settle for action instead of sympathy."Let me pull up your account."
    Anna took a long gulp of soft drink while she waited.
    "Oh, my."
    Anna put down her drink can and sat forward in her chair."What's wrong?"
    "Well, it appears that we actually tried to get in touch with you today about your account, but there was no answer at your home number."
    For the first time, Anna noticed the blinking red light on the answering machine. "What were you calling about?"
    "According to my records, in the past two days there have been numerous charges to your account, and at the present time it's almost two hundred dollars over your credit limit."
    "That can't be right."
    "No problem," the operator continued, apparently unfazed by Anna's tone. "Your payment history has been good, so if you like, I'm sure we can extend your limit."
    Anna felt her heart descend into her shoes. This was defi- nitely not what she needed on top of all her other problems."I don't want my credit limit extended. I want you to remove those charges. They're not mine. I can tell