By Dr. JD, a plaintiff’s attorney, practicing in the Northeast
We continue our series of articles penned by one attorney, an MD, JD, giving you a view of the world through a malpractice plaintiff attorney’s eyes. This attorney is a seasoned veteran. The series includes a number of pearls on how to stay out of harm’s way. While I do not necessarily agree with 100% of the details of every article, I think the messages are salient, on target, and fully relevant. Please give us your feedback – and let us know if you find the series helpful.
You are relaxing at your town’s July 4th barbecue, waiting for the fireworks. As you doze in your lawn chair, your neighbor taps you on the shoulder. “Doc, can I show you a spot on my arm that’s got me a little worried?” he asks.
You are at the PTA bake sale. The class dad next to you leans over and whispers, “Can I ask a favor? I was laid off and I can’t afford to go to the doctor just to get my Nexium prescription renewed. I feel like there’s lump in my stomach with all this stress. Could you just write me a prescription to tide me over?”
You are at your family reunion. Your cousin pulls you aside and takes out a copy of her lab report from an executive health service. She points to where elevated liver enzymes have been flagged. “What does this mean?” she asks.
You have been asked to offer a diagnosis, to prescribe and to evaluate clinical findings, all by people who are not your patients but are connected to you as friend or family, a setting usually referred to as “casual care”.
What do you do?
