If a dog bites a man, that is not newsworthy. When a man bites a dog, it makes news. A patient sues a doctor. Not newsworthy. Doctor sues a patient. That’s a headline. Dr. Leonard Hochstein, star of the reality TV series “The Real Housewives of Miami” is suing two patients, Nicole George and Kristen … Read more
Casey Smitherman is superintendent of a small school district in the Midwest. The town, Elwood, Indiana, has 8,500 people and struggles with serious poverty. Many of its students do not have adequate resources. Ms. Smitherman had helped a specific student in the past, buying clothes for him and helping clean his house. This specific student failed to show up at school. Smitherman apparently did not … Read more
I had never heard of the phrase “serial malpracticer.” It seems to apply to Dr. Spyros Panos, an orthopaedic surgeon who surrendered his medical license six years ago. An arbitrator awarded $140 million to resolve 255 medical malpractice lawsuits in New York. Dr. Panos refused consent to settle. His carrier, MLMIC, overrode him. It’s not clear that the carrier has (or … Read more
A unicorn is a mythical creature. It does not exist. Which brings me to Press Ganey scores. For those of you entirely immune to the numeric patient satisfaction benchmarks, Press Ganey is eponymous with HCAHPS scores mandated by CMS. HCAHPS was initially rolled out to allow comparisons between institutions providing inpatient care. How satisfied are patients receiving care at … Read more
Here’s a question that perplexes many plaintiff’s attorneys. I hear it all the time. Why do doctors take medical malpractice so personally? Why do doctors treat medical malpractice differently than being in an auto accident? Shouldn’t we just turn it over to our carriers and be done with it? I don’t think myself the worst … Read more
Recently, we published a piece by Dr. Rada Jones on the 68 Laws of the ER. She returns now for prescient and timely advice to patients on how to stay out of the ER. The best way to do her post justice is to present it as is without editorial or comment. Enjoy! I’m an … Read more
“Doc, how long do I have to live?” When a patient has a difficult diagnosis, they want answers. That’s reasonable. They want to know how to structure the time they have left. Why? Priorities change. They want to get their affairs in order. It’s also a question that determines whether a patient qualifies for government … Read more
I have never understood why some women spontaneously become pen pals and virtual lovers with violent felons currently incarcerated. Some even marry the object of their desire. This behavior is not dissimilar to a recent Facebook group launched in support of Dr. Johnnie Barto, a Johnstown, Pennsylvania pediatrician. Dr. Barto was recently sentenced to 79 … Read more
Sometimes, the specific language in an op-report can lead to misunderstanding and litigation. I’m not talking about using words like “suddenly” or “to my unexpected surprise” in the document. I’m talking about how you label anatomic structures. Surgeons start with a clinical diagnosis. This diagnosis is often reinforced or guided by an imaging study. Then, … Read more
C. difficile is a thorny problem for hospitalized patients because physicians have generously prescribed progressively stronger broad spectrum antibiotics, killing off good bacteria, making it easier for the bad bacteria to proliferate. The condition affects 500,000 Americans each year and takes 30,000 lives. When yogurt and standard probiotics don’t stop the diarrhea (and there is … Read more
