Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD - Medical Justice

Your Mother Was Right

August 15, 2024February 18, 2011 by Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD

Michael J. Sacopulos, Esq. Doctors are busy, enough said. The problem is too many doctors are not getting enough sleep. According to a recent New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) article “sleep deprivation adversely affects clinical performance and impairs psychomotor performance as severely as alcohol intoxication”. There are currently work/sleep regulations in place for first … Read more

Bill to Make Doctors Histories Available Moves to Senate

September 17, 2024January 28, 2011 by Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD

Bill to make detailed IL doctors’ histories available moves to Senate According to a recent Chicago Tribune article, a bill (Patients’ Right to Know Act) in Illinois that has already made its way through the House and is on its way to the Senate could allow patients to view detailed histories of their doctor online … Read more

Rating Sites and the Worst Possible Interpretation Part II

August 15, 2024January 21, 2011 by Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD

This is part II of Rating Sites Sometimes Err on the Side of the Worst Possible Interpretation Jeff Segal, MD, JD, FACS Doctor B.’s record was blemished on a separate rating site. The blemish: “Doctor B. was sanctioned in the past”; sanction being defined as actions taken to punish or restrict physicians who have demonstrated … Read more

Rating Sites Sometimes Err on the Side of the Worst Possible Interpretation

August 15, 2024January 19, 2011 by Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD

Doctor Rating Sites Sometimes Err on the Side of the Worst Possible Interpretation Jeff Segal, MD, JD, FACS These two vignettes involve real Medical Justice plan members; both talented physicians. Rating sites tarred these innocent bystanders, courtesy of their respective licensing Board of Medicines. Medical Justice helped set the record straight. Doctor A. is an … Read more

Voir Dire – Jury Selection Process

August 15, 2024January 17, 2011 by Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD

Voir Dire – Medical Malpractice Jury Selection Process

Joseph Horton, MD

They called me for jury duty last week. As luck had it, there was only one jury trial in court and I didn’t get picked for it. But since I find the experience instructive—and symptomatic of much that I believe to be wrong with our judicial system—I’d like to share the story of what happened Monday.

We entered Judge Harrington’s courtroom where the trial was to be held. Standing next to the bench was a chart that asked each potential juror to state his or her name, address, occupation, name of spouse and spouse’s occupation, and number of children. No clue why they were interested in offspring, but hey—why not? I admitted that I’m a surgeon and a board member of Medical Justice, and that I have a son who also is a physician. I don’t know a huge amount about statistics, but it fascinated me that, of the 33, there were also 5 registered nurses, 4 of whom were currently practicing, plus one who had retired. There was also a fireman with good knowledge of CPR and EMT.

Gone But Not Forgotten: The Curious Dormancy of Metadata

August 15, 2024January 14, 2011 by Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD

Gone But Not Forgotten: The Curious Dormancy of Metadata

Peter G. Yelkovac, Attorney at Law

Medical students are taught that certain viruses tend to take refuge in cells and live a latent existence long after symptoms have cleared. In many cases, such viruses remain dormant for the life of the patient. In other cases, they may spring back to life at an inopportune time.

Nearly every technologically literate person knows that viruses can attack a computer. Fortunately, such attacks are easily eradicated by automatic protection programs that capture and expel the offender forever. Few computer users, however, are aware that the mere use of a computer may create different type of organisms which, like a virus in a human cell, are not so easily discarded.

Limits on Malpractice Damages Unconstitutional

August 15, 2024January 12, 2011 by Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD

Louisiana Court of Appeals Rules Limits on Malpractice Damages Unconstitutional The Louisiana Court of Appeals ruled last month that the state’s limits on malpractice damages violated the constitution. The Louisiana Medical Malpractice Act, which caps damages general damages at $500,000, was ruled to be unconstitutional on November 17, 2010 in Oliver v. Magnolia Clinic (WL … Read more

Gamble Big and Lose, Sue, Collect Big Check

August 15, 2024January 7, 2011 by Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD

Jeff Segal, MD, JD, FACS, CEO Medical Justice

Gamble Big and Lose. Then Sue Big Pharma. Then Collect Big Check. No Kidding.

To those who plan to go to Vegas and gamble, here’s how to cut your losses – even win big. The secret: Pramipexole. Stay with me on this.

Pramipaxole, to refresh, is a dopamine agonist used for early stage Parkinson’s disease. It also treats restless legs syndrome. There’s more. It is currently being investigated to treat clinical depression and fibromyalgia. Pramipaxole is sometimes used off label to treat cluster headache and to counteract problems with sexual dysfunction caused by antidepressants. Finally, it is currently being investigated for the treatment of clinical depression and fibromyalgia. A veritable cornucopia of treatments.

Back to the hedge against gambling losses.

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The Runaway Jury in the Age of Mark Zuckerberg

August 15, 2024January 6, 2011 by Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD

Michael J. Sacopulos, Esq. General Counsel, Medical Justice

In most law schools around our country, second year students take “Evidence.” This is a technical class which teaches one rule and its exemptions after the next. What information is privileged and not, the hearsay rule and its dozen exceptions, relevant versus irrelevant testimony, and waivers all make up a body of law whose origins date back centuries to English common law. Rising above the trees to look at the forest, the general idea is to determine what information is fair and reliable to present to a jury. The thought goes that some information is simply too prejudicial or unreliable to be presented to a jury. At their core, the rules of evidence control information heard by jurors. Well, it seems that there may be some new rules…

New Year’s Resolutions

August 15, 2024January 3, 2011 by Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD

By now, holiday libations are a fading memory, and the time has come to buckle down and get back to work in this new year. There will be ample challenges ahead for each of us. While there has been positive motion in the past year, it seems there’s always more to come.

New Year’s Resolutions are often forgotten when the first week of that new year commences. Though made with the best of intents, we simply become too busy, too embroiled in the day to day aspects, or too distracted by new events, to focus upon them and turn them into meaningful changes. But those resolutions were worthwhile, and deserve a fair attempt. Whether yours was to lose weight, be more conscientious about getting ample sleep, to be more considerate of others, to put away more savings, to be more careful about something… no matter what it may be, we can all benefit from a few strategically placed reminders.

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