Legal - Medical Justice

Complimentary Membership Program for Residents and Fellows

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

A Message to Residents from Jeff Segal, MD, JD, FACS I was a resident not too long ago – although it was longer ago than I want to admit! I remember what it was like. I spent 6 years learning how to operate as a neurosurgeon. One mentor explained – you spend your entire residency … Read more

One Murder; Two Medical Malpractice Claims

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

Michael J. Sacopulos, Esq.

Jeremy Pompeneo, a recovering methamphetamine addict, sporadically went to the Verde Valley Guidance Clinic in 2005 and 2006 for counseling and prescriptions for psychiatric medication. Additionally, he went to another facility for inpatient psychiatric care because of “psychotic episodes induced by amphetamines,” that had been prescribed by the Clinic’s staff.

After seeing his therapist on October 17, 2006, Jeremy Pompeneo (“Pompeneo”) went home, stabbed his girlfriend to death and then attempted suicide by taking an overdose of medication.

Pompeneo was indicted for first-degree murder.

Isn’t the Pot Calling the Kettle Black?

August 15, 2024April 15, 2011 by Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD

I must confess. I’m flattered. First I learn that a professor of Internet law at an Ivy League School referenced the Medical Justice agreements as a final exam question. I am a regular reader – and fan – of Eric Goldman’s cyber-law blog. Earlier this week, lo and behold, Professor Goldman featured Medical Justice on a site he’s created about us.

If you believe every argument Professor Goldman makes, you’d believe that all doctor review sites are wonderful, accurate and completely truthful. He won’t yield an inch in acknowledging that there might be a small problem with at least 1 of the more than 60 sites dotting the cyber-landscape. C’mon. Toss us a bone.

It’s All Just a Game, Isn’t It?

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

We search the web every day for interesting, relevant or unusual stories that would be of interest to physicians or could have an impact on their practices. This headline caught our eye;

Guess the Verdict to Support Your Favorite Charity

A New York personal injury law firm is running a contest – they give you the description of an actual personal injury or malpractice case and you guess the settlement. The closest guess to the actual settlement wins an iPad2.

Must Physicians Make Their Website Accessible to Visually Impaired Patients?

August 15, 2024April 13, 2011 by Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD

Michael J. Sacopulos, Esq. Several years ago, the National Federation of the Blind filed a suit against the retail store, Target. The issue centered around Target’s website allegedly not being compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. National Federation of the Blind v. Target Corp., 452 F. Supp. 2d 946 (N.D. Cal. 2006) challenged if … Read more

Trash-Talking a Competitor Can Land You in Hot Water

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

Jeff Segal, MD, JD, FACS It’s a strange world of language in which skating on thin ice can get you into hot water. ~ Franklin P. Jones It’s almost irresistible. A prospective patient comes to your office. The prospect says her friend just had surgery performed by your competitor. The prospect asks you about the … Read more

Tax-Saving Ideas You Can Do Now

August 15, 2024March 31, 2011 by Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD

Don’t Let Another April 15th Be Rainy for You: 4 Tax-Saving Ideas You Can Do Now

David B. Mandell, JD, MBA; Jason M. O’Dell, CWM; Carole Foos, CPA

As a physician, do you realize that – between income, capital gains, Medicare, self-employment and other taxes, you spend 40 to 50% of your working hours laboring for the IRS and your state? That is a lot of time with patients for someone else’s benefit. Given the significance of this fact, shouldn’t your advisors be giving you creative ways to legally reduce your tax liabilities? How many tax-reducing ideas does your CPA regularly provide you? If you are like most physicians, you probably get very few tax planning ideas from your advisors.

Given these sobering facts, the purpose of this article is to show you five ways to potentially save and possibly motivate you to investigate these planning concepts now, before the end of the year. Let’s examine them now:

Medical Justice and the Impact on Patients

August 15, 2024March 24, 2011 by Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD

We recently returned from a meeting that included business advisors to doctors. One advisor stated that what we do impacts a trend that has made her particularly sad. This woman, in her 60’s, said she sees residents and fellows graduate from their programs, armed with the latest life-saving techniques, excited to “save the world.” Invariably, … Read more

Is There An Epidemic of Doctor Sexual Assaults?

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

Jeff Segal, MD, JD, FACS

The race to the bottom is accelerating. A new web site recently came to our attention. (We aren’t naming the site because we don’t want to direct any more traffic to the site than it deserves, which is ZERO. So we shall refer to it as thesitethatdeservesnottobenamed.)

One of our dentist members received an email from thesitethatdeservesnottobenamed bringing a post on that site to his attention. How thesitethatdeservesnottobenamed got the doctor’s email address is anyone’s guess.

OK. The details.

Where Has All the Trust Gone?

August 15, 2024March 11, 2011 by Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD

The close relationship between Americans and “the neighborhood doctor” is a strong piece of American mythology. People implicitly trust physicians to use their specialized training to make decisions patients may not fully understand, but always trust. At least, that’s the way things used to be. These days, the atmosphere has changed for the worse; some patients no longer trust physicians and physicians sometimes resent their patients. The question is: why?

+ More