Side note: Prosecuting a “Pill Mill”, individuals who seek out multiple prescriptions of commonly abused prescription drugs for the sole purpose of illegal resale, often requires the same expense and level of expert testimony as a medical malpractice lawsuit. Since prescription drugs are legal the possession of the drugs is not a crime. Criminal intent […]

Side note: We all know that careless and reckless drivers pay astronomical rates for car insurance, if they can get coverage at all. Yet many people fail to realize that the same circumstances apply to doctors. Take the case of Dr. David Giem who recently testified to congress that his medical malpractice insurance rates had […]

Side note: The Coalition to Protect Patients Rights, a grassroots coalition of over 10,000 health care providers, doctors, and concerned citizens, recently expressed concern over flaws in the newly passed health care reform law. Members of the coalition were shocked to find out that a recent government analysis discovered that overall health care costs will […]

Side note: There is one thing that the GOP agrees on; they plan to repeal Obama’s health care law, what they refer to as Obamacare. What they don’t agree on is what they will replace it with. The Republicans feel confident about gaining control of the House this year. They cite that there are approximately […]

Side note: Most proponents of medical malpractice reform cite the cost of defensive medicine as the main reason why reform is necessary. Defensive medicine, which can be defined as the unnecessary tests and procedures done solely to protect the doctor from possible litigation, costs the county an estimated $200 billion. I’ve heard many physicians refer […]

Side note: Sometimes medical malpractice can cost a doctor a lot more than higher medical malpractice insurance premiums. Recently Rapin Osathanondh, age 67, was sentenced to a 2.5 years in jail for his negligence resulting in the death of Laura Hope Smith of Sandwich, Ma. The jail sentence was a result of Osathanondh’s failure to […]

Side note: Sometimes it is easy to forget the power of an apology. This story details the tragic misdiagnosis that led to the premature death, at the age of 39, of Doug Wojcieszak’s brother. Doug’s brother had gone to the emergency room with chest pains and was diagnosed with ulcers. He returned several hours later […]

side note: Wow, talk about a surgeon with bad luck. After leaving a sponge inside his patient for months, the patient also happened to be a judge. Yes, there’s a lawsuit. It has been called the “surgeon’s dread.” The most common mistake made in surgery, according to medical journals, is leaving a sponge or instrument […]

Side note: Does your ‘bedside manner’ actually affect your chances of being named in medical malpractice litigation; most doctors, and some insurance companies, think so. Valiant insurance, for one, requires prospective applicants to pass a communication evaluation before their acceptance is considered. Developing a candid, trusting relationship with your patients can make them less likely […]