“When a patient is dissatisfied with his or her care, he or she can consult an attorney, who will enlist a physician ‘expert’ to determine if a doctor has deviated from the standard of care and whether that deviation caused a negative…
Category: Malpractice
A physician applies to law school. Here is her application essay.
I have been a physician for 26 years. I have been a fierce patient advocate throughout my entire career. It never occurred to me that physicians do not have the same rights of citizenship that the very patients I fight for do. I always thought I lived …
How reviewing medical malpractice claims made me a better gastroenterologist
When a patient is dissatisfied with his or her care, he or she can consult an attorney, who will enlist a physician “expert” to determine if a doctor has deviated from the standard of care and whether that deviation caused a negative outcome. Over the …
Malpractice claims from the COVID-19 pandemic: more questions than answers
The pandemic has raised pressing questions around preventive measures, vaccines, and safe treatment, but it has also obscured one key lingering uncertainty for medical professionals: Where are all the medical malpractice claims? A variety of factors cr…
How could a patient die from anesthesia for a colonoscopy?
Every death related to anesthesia is a tragedy; even more so when a minor procedure such as a colonoscopy leads to a completely unexpected death. Everyone knows that open heart surgery carries a mortality risk, but few of us walk into the hospital for …
An introduction to medical-legal consulting
As many of you know, burnout is an increasingly serious problem for physicians, affecting over 50 percent of clinicians in some studies conducted before our current COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, in an interesting study, one of every four physicians is l…
This physician is retiring. Here’s his most valuable lesson.
In a few weeks, I will be retiring. After 31 years and more than 100,000 patient visits, I will be hanging up my stethoscope. Over the years, there have been tremendous highs but also horrible lows. The latter includes having been victimized by a fr…
How this surgeon beat a medical staff disciplinary action
I recently represented a physician in a noteworthy peer review case at an academic medical center. The medical staff president initiated a complaint against a surgeon, who would later become my client. The complaint was that the surgeon inappropriately…
What not to do after a medical mistake
If you are a doctor (or med student/health professional) and are human, you’ve probably made a medical mistake. You’ve probably not received emotional support for the mistake. Maybe you’ve never told anyone about a mistake that still …
How to minimize virtual medicine liability risk [PODCAST]
“Telehealth has come into focus during the COVID-19 pandemic as physicians face an immediate need to reduce exposure by providing care—or at least triage—remotely when appropriate. Under usual circumstances, telemedicine is comparatively low risk…
