Mich. Supreme Court rules that some hospital records can't be disclosed

SAGINAW (AP) - The Michigan Supreme Court has unanimously ruled in favor of a hospital in a dispute over access to records in a malpractice lawsuit. The court says lawmakers have shielded so-called peer review records from disclosure. Peer review committees at hospitals review certain practices as a way to improve patient care. In a 6-0 decision, the court ruled in a case from Saginaw County. A judge had said lawyers could see "objective facts" listed on the first page of a report about the death of a patient, Dorothy Krusac. But the Supreme Court says Judge Fred Borchard relied on an erroneous 2014 decision by the Michigan appeals court in a similar case. The court says a litigant still can rely on eyewitness testimony and a patient's medical records. Published: Thu, Apr 23, 2015