On January 7, 2025, plastic surgeon Dr. Elisabeth Potter posted a video claiming that UnitedHealthcare called her mid-surgery to justify an inpatient stay for a breast cancer patient receiving reconstructive surgery. Dr. Potter posted on X.com: On January 13th, counsel for United Healthcare sent Dr. Potter an unpleasant letter. “Re: Your Defamatory TikTok and Instagram … Read more
Remember Stormy Daniels? This post is not about her, but her attorney, Michael Avenatti. And a case he propelled against Nike. He is incarcerated for felony fraud and extortion. There’s a fine line between aggressive demand letters and extortion. In [the] federal court complaint filed in the Southern District of New York, the government accuse[d] … Read more
If a driver experiences a generalized tonic-clonic seizure while driving – with minimal to no warning aura, the likelihood of a serious accident is not insignificant. Such an accident could injure the driver and passengers of that car, pedestrians, people in other vehicles, and property. Bad things could happen. Three professional societies (the American Academy … Read more
Each year, there are over 100 million emergency department visits in the US. Imaging is performed in over 50% of such encounters. CT scans are performed in 20% of such visits. Not infrequently, a surprise finding is identified. It is estimated that an actionable incidental finding (AIF), defined as a “mass or lesion, detected by … Read more
Physicians are humans. Like humans, some subset of the doctor population drinks to excess, impairing function. Most doctors who drink alcohol are not in this subset. They drank sparingly, in moderation, and/or socially. If function is impaired, then arguably patients are put at risk. So, hospitals, healthcare organizations, and licensing boards have a legitimate interest … Read more
America locks up a lot of people. Approximately 2 million people are incarcerated. Also, many people have interactions with law enforcement, and they may be arrested and placed in jail pending trial. These people also get sick. What type of care are these individuals entitled to? I was made aware of this issue during a … Read more
Living wills (advance directives) help physicians navigate thorny healthcare decisions – particularly with respect to how much care is desired. And delivered. A “living will” (LST) is a legal document that outlines a person’s preferences for medical treatment in the event they become incapacitated and unable to communicate their wishes, detailing which life-sustaining treatments they want … Read more
The North Carolina Medical Board just proposed a revision to its current policy on self-treatment and prescribing to family members. It does not look dramatically different from prior policy statements. The updated policy draft was posted for comments (below). Not surprisingly, our colleagues have strong opinions. One commenter wrote: “This is my position that physicians … Read more
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a guidance document called Online Tracking Bulletin. It then revised that document. The AHA, joined by the Texas Hospital Association, Texas Health Resources, and United Regional Health Care System, sued in November 2023 arguing that HHS over-reached and that the bulletin was unlawful. This was not … Read more
Can ChatGPT craft a legal demand letter? Yes. A Medical Justice member on the west coast recently received a legal demand letter. I cannot prove it was crafted by a large language model. But it does not appear to have been written by a lawyer. At all. Some background. A plastic surgeon performed a breast … Read more
