Category: Malpractice

Divided loyalties: A physician testifies against a colleague

Some may think I am a traitor. I testified against one of our colleagues. And his employment was terminated. It feels terrible. The type of gut-wrenching terrible that baits my tear and steals my sleep. I find myself rehashing the testimony, always sta…

In defense of medical errors

I gasped at the guilty verdict that halted my indifferent scroll through the newsfeed. In the course of her duties, a nurse who had accidentally administered the wrong drug, self-reported her mistake and remorsefully admitted her error to a body of her…

The emotional aspect of surviving a lawsuit or disciplinary action

Malpractice claims and disciplinary actions are unfortunate realities for too many physicians. A 2016 survey of physicians revealed that 34 percent of them had been sued, and 16.8 percent had been sued more than once. By the time a doctor is 54 years o…

How a legal injustice changed this physician’s career [PODCAST]

“I do not hesitate to share what I endured. I recognize that there is a code of silence that must be broken when one is involved in legal action. It is imperative that we speak out to patients, legislators, and other physicians against these type…

Understanding consent-to-settle in your malpractice insurance policy

Arguably one of the most overlooked yet incredibly important aspects of your malpractice insurance policy is the Consent to Settle Provision. You’re paying thousands of dollars a year for your malpractice insurance; you should have a say in how your cl…

Strategies to help women advocate for themselves and avoid misdiagnosis

While everyone faces some risk of experiencing a delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis, some studies have found that the problem is more common for women. Women are 50 percent more likely than men to receive an incorrect diagnosis when they’re having a hea…

Avoiding medical malpractice in the wake of the pandemic

Almost ten years ago, there was a knock at the door. My children and I were playing games as it was only a few days after Christmas. All of us answered the door, and there stood a sheriff with papers. He said those dreaded words, “you are served….

Tackling trial delays, social inflation, and skeptical jurors in a pandemic world

More than one in three U.S. physicians will face a medical malpractice lawsuit in their careers. As the role of advanced practice clinicians such as nurse practitioners as primary caregivers continues to grow, so too will their exposure to medical malp…

Medical-legal consulting as a side gig [PODCAST]

“Medical-legal consulting is a great way to use your medical training in a non-clinical field that helps people. I started this field 14 years ago and have trained over 1,600 physicians to be medical-legal consultants. Most physicians do medical-…

Publicity and sharing our experiences are our best tools against legal injustice

An excerpt from Rheum for Improvement: The Evolution of a Health-Care Advocate. Their expert witness, “Dr. Z,” was simply a hired gun willing to do their bidding for a price. He had completed only one year of a rotating internship in family practice in…