Medical Justice Blog

By Dr. JD, a plaintiff’s attorney, practicing in the Northeast   Consenting a patient is really the entering into of a contractual agreement that will govern the medical care that you will engage in and, as in all contracts, that process requires a meeting of … Read more

Everybody knows a couple that’s not going to “make it.” They’re destined to part. The question is how much pain or indifference they’ll endure before the inevitable happens.   Occasionally, there’s a doctor-patient relationship that’s not going to make it.   A dentist recently described … Read more

Doctors understand the need to warn patients about side effects of medications, as well as drug-drug interactions. The list of things to warn about just got longer.   iPads.   Apparently magnetic interference from ubiquitous technology devices can alter the settings or potentially deactivate implantable … Read more

A recent article in Journal of the American Medical Association delved into the touchy subject of mandatory alcohol and drug screening programs for physicians. In their piece titled “Identification of Physician Impairment”, the authors Drs. Pham, Provonost, and Skipper concluded healthcare lags behind other high-risk … Read more

The NY Times hosts a column each Sunday called the Ethicist. Readers send in their real-life ethical conundrums, and the columnist weighs-in with advice.   Recently, a doctor wrote that “years ago” his patient was having headaches. The patient finally confessed that he committed a … Read more

How often do we hear the phrase – Is there a doctor on-board? I recall hearing that phrase at least 4 times on flights – probably more. Different doctors have different attitudes toward stepping in. In general, an uncompensated doctor is protected from liability via … Read more

Earlier this week the Florida State Legislature passed a bill which would require expert witnesses testifying against a physician in a medical malpractice case to practice in the in the exact specialty of medicine as the defendant physician. This is an important piece of legislation … Read more

Most doctors have taken care of patients who were medically impacted by their illegal act. Some of these patients actually have third party insurance. I know, you’re skeptical. OK, how about a rock star who overdoses? Maybe he’s not come to your ER. But, he … Read more

First, let’s dispense with political correctness. I will not use the words “alleged” or “suspect.” We’re all adults here. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is the younger brother whose bombs killed 3 innocents or maimed scores of participants or bystanders in the Boston Marathon.   I was proud … Read more

Doctors are testing various models of telemedicine. Every state treats the online practice of medicine differently. And, it’s unclear how this will shake out over time. Patients can even obtain sex therapy from a certified therapist – online. As one therapist’s site note: “If the … Read more