Medical Justice Blog

A good question was posed on physician forum. Why do doctors treat medical malpractice differently than being in an auto accident? Shouldn’t we just turn it over to our carriers and be done with it? The reason: The two systems have little in common. First, … Read more

Gastroenterologist – and blogger – Michael Kirsch – brought the following two facts to my attention.   In New Jersey, a jury awarded $18 million to two plaintiffs for damages related to the drug Accutane (isotretinoin). Was it because of the teratogenic effects of the … Read more

Finally…a non-controversial blog post.   My mother taught me not say anything if I could not say something nice. Suffice it to say, many times I have fallen short of that aspirational goal. And, diving deep into the Affordable Care Act, I could not find … Read more

Technology moves fast these days. So fast sometimes it can be difficult to keep up. As part of our efforts to stay ahead of the curve, we have released a freshly redesigned website for Medical Justice. The new site boasts a variety of additions and … Read more

In 1997, Dr. Robert Smith, a Scottish surgeon saw a patient with an atypical request. He wanted the surgeon to amputate his perfectly healthy left leg. Why the request? The patient argued his left foot wasn’t part of him. “It felt alien.” Dr. Smith had … Read more

Surgeons are typically afforded great latitude in choosing whether or not to operate on a patient. For example, Jehovah’s Witnesses generally eschew transfusion of blood products. If a Jehovah’s Witness needs a coronary artery bypass, you are not obligated to operate on this patient. You … Read more

The FDA has been in the news lately. For those returning from two month news-free National Geographic vacation in Antarctica, a compounding pharmacy in Massachusetts was supplying vials of preservative free methyl-prednisolone for epidural injections and much more. Some of these vials were tainted with … Read more

By now it’s common knowledge that a compounding pharmacy in Massachusetts delivered tainted preservative free methyl-prednisolone to a number of hospitals / clinics. The taint was a fungus. And morbidity and mortality have climbed.   Why did doctors/ facilities even order from a compounding pharmacy? … Read more

Warren West’s pregnant wife died during an emergency delivery in Nevada in 2005. His daughter was born with severe brain damage. Attorney Chris Gellner filed a malpractice lawsuit. Another attorney, Dave Haley, served as guardian ad litem for the child. Here’s what they negotiated. A … Read more