As physicians, we learn we must inform the patient of their options. Each patient has a different tolerance for risk. Some want aggressive treatment. Some want conservative management. The patient decides what should be done. I always thought it awkward to merely present a smorgasbord of options and then stare at the patient asking – … Read more
I spent some time over the weekend scanning physician responses to this ethical conundrum. An endocrinologist was caring for a man who spent years taking anabolic steroids. He developed hypogonadotropic hypogonadism with a low sperm count. He was now living clean and ready to start his family. The endocrinologist replaced the patient’s testosterone and achieved … Read more
We continue with our series of general educational 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 … Read more
Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD Published in Medscape: May 14, 2015 (reprinted with permission) http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/844060 How Would You Have Handled Patients Like These? Being sued for malpractice is a traumatic experience. The odds of being sued at least once over one’s career are high.[1] Doctors typically have sufficient professional liability coverage to prevent financial loss. But not all … Read more
Notes from a Plaintiff’s Attorney: Liability Issues in Telemedicine 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 … Read more
Hundreds of articles have been published on the theme of a doctor becoming a patient. I’d like to add one more to the literature. But only to express my gratitude. Over the years, I’ve cataloged many of the headaches faced by professionals in health care. This includes the countless challenges doctors face each and every … Read more
We continue with 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 … Read more
We continue with our series of general educational 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 … Read more
As Shakespeare once posited: “To drain or not to drain. That is this the question.” Perhaps it wasn’t him. Surgeon preference typically dictates whether a drain makes sense. Keeping a hematoma from forming means avoiding one additional nidus of infection. But, a drain (even a closed drain), can also serve as a nidus of infection. … Read more
Many years ago, a mentor taught me a surgeon spends an entire residency learning how to operate. Then the surgeon spends the rest of one’s career learning how NOT to operate. This includes when not to operate. A plastic surgeon called me recently, and described a recent patient visit. The woman, in her mid-40’s, confessed … Read more
