Medical Justice Blog

We’ve heard plenty of horror stories where someone tried to do the right thing – and got screwed. Everyone knows the saying, “No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.” Still, my faith in humanity was renewed on January 10th.

Dr. Philip Taylor was employed by Spectrum Health Primary Care Partners. He practiced as an ob-gyn. His employment agreement with Spectrum defined how they could terminate the relationship. Summary Termination. If your employment … is terminated by its Board of Directors [the “Board”] for a … Read more

Yesterday, I read two articles in JAMA on pimping. (Yes, I still get JAMA.) The article suggested that pimping medical students and residents may be “old school.” Used inappropriately, it may serve more as a tool off abuse and humiliation as opposed to a pedagogical … Read more

Some say there are two types of online sites. Those that know they have been hacked. And those that have been hacked, but don’t know it. Sobering. Everyone is busy. The important question is what can be done to mitigate the downside of sites being … Read more

We often write about serious topics.   Not today.   I want to give a shout out to a site called Gomerblog.   GOMER is medical slang for a patient in the emergency room who is not in need of emergency services. For those of … Read more

An old joke says that the best way to keep a secret is to tell it to only one person, and that person should be dead.   All kidding aside, the greater the number of people who handle information, the more likely that confidentiality will … Read more

Most parents have uttered the phrase “Because I Said So”. You know precisely what it means. You know why you said it. And, on occasion, your offspring will also know what it means. In the medico-legal domain, experts are generally needed to make the case … Read more

Most surgeons prescribe post-op narcotics to treat pain. The typical plan is a short course of narcotics followed by non-narcotic medication or no medication at all. I am not referring to complex pain or chronic pain. I am talking about a patient who in theory … Read more

When the US was founded, is it likely our founding fathers could have anticipated this lawsuit – Dolan v. Case Pork Roll Co.? Perhaps. Ben Franklin once wrote a letter called Fart Proudly. Franklin was living abroad, serving as Ambassador to France. He opined the … Read more

Recently, I learned of a surgeon on the west coast who received a “love letter” from an attorney. By love letter, I mean a demand for several hundred thousand dollars.   The surgeon took care of a patient and recommended surgical treatment. The patient did … Read more