News/Announcements - Medical Justice

Patient Bills Her Doctor For Making Her Wait

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

Jeff Segal, MD, JD, FACS

CNN.com recently reported the case of Elaine Farstad. An IT specialist from Everett, WA, who became angry when her physician was late for a scheduled appointment, Ms. Farstad calculated her hourly wage rate and billed her doctor for the time she had to wait – to the tune of $100. Interestingly, her doctor sent her a check for the full amount.

In fact, many practitioners are now using cash, gifts or credit for future appointments to “compensate” patients for time spent in waiting rooms.

Dr. Mark Weinberger: A Rotten Apple

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

Jeff Segal, MD, JD, FACS

It’s an easy call. Dr. Mark Weinberger is a rotten apple. More than 300 medical malpractice cases have been filed against him. Most haven’t even gotten started. In the first case to pop through, the estate of Phyllis Barnes vs. Weinberger, the jury delivered a $13 million verdict for the plaintiff.

Maybe Dr. Weinberger doesn’t care. He’s in prison. And his professional liability carrier is working overtime to distance themselves from having to provide legal defense.

A little background.

Bill to Make Doctors Histories Available Moves to Senate

August 15, 2024January 11, 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

Medical Justice Partners with LocumTenens.com

August 15, 2024December 30, 2010 by Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD

Medical Justice Partners with LocumTenens.com to Protect Physicians from Meritless Litigation

Medical Justice announced a partnership with LocumTenens.com, a full-service physician recruitment firm and operator of the industry’s largest internet job board. Through the partnership, Medical Justice will provide membership and protective services to physicians while on assignment with LocumTenens.com.

The Medical Justice program for LocumTenens.com will supplement the traditional professional liability insurance and medical malpractice coverage already provided through LocumTenens.com. Beginning January 1, 2011, the program will provide physicians working through LocumTenens.com access to services and strategies proven to lessen the occurrence of meritless malpractice claims.

Medical Justice Forges Partnership with LocumTenens.com to Protect Physicians

August 15, 2024December 28, 2010 by Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD

Companies team to ensure healthcare workers on temporary assignments are safeguarded from meritless litigation.

Cliffhanger Congress: Senate Passes Medicare Payment Bill

August 15, 2024December 9, 2010 by Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD

This Congress may be a Lame Duck, but that didn’t stop the Senate from at least one unanimous decision. Yesterday, December 8, 2010, the Senate passed legislation to extend Medicare payments for another year. With just 3 weeks left before the massive 25% pay cut to physicians would have taken place, and since the House must still pass the same action before they break for the rest of the year, it’s fair to say they’ve cut it a bit close. Since there was unanimous consent, one wonders why this wasn’t passed long ago. Perhaps the answer lies in figuring out how to pay for it, but this seems unlikely as well.

Legislators Bring 13-Month Bandaid Bill

August 15, 2024November 23, 2010 by Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD

For what seems like centuries now (hyperbole, or prophecy?) Congress has been putting patches and bandaids on Medicare payments, approving continued pay at (barely) tolerable rates, a month at a time, a few months here and there. In June of 2010, President Obama signed a bill delaying the cuts another six months. Now December 1 looms, less than one week away, and that 23% Medicare payment cut is before us yet again (with an additional 1% cut coming on January 1, 2011). So what does the House do? Propose a slightly longer bandaid.

Medical Justice Announces Partnership With New Jersey Society of Plastic Surgeons

August 15, 2024August 30, 2010 by Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD

New Jersey Society of Plastic Surgeons and Medical Justice Announce Partnership

– Partnership extends Medical Justice’s programs to preempt frivolous lawsuits, unwarranted demands for refunds, and Internet defamation to Members of the New Jersey Society of Plastic Surgeons –

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA, August 18, 2010 – – The New Jersey Society of Plastic Surgeons (NJSPS) recently announced partnership with Medical Justice®, the organization that protects healthcare professionals against frivolous medical malpractice lawsuits, unwarranted demands for refunds, and online defamation.

Medical Justice focuses exclusively on the healthcare industry. Their members enjoy significant reductions in frivolous medical malpractice cases and other related medico-legal threats. The partnership is intended to aid the Society by preemptively mitigating medico-legal risks for members while further enriching and enhancing the Society’s mission.

Effective immediately, Medical Justice will offer NJSPS members preferred price discounts on its full membership, (encompassing all products and services,) based on NJSPS Member participation. The NJSPS will add Medical Justice as a new member benefit for its members.

New Jersey Society of Plastic Surgeons and Medical Justice Announce Partnership

August 15, 2024August 18, 2010 by Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD

Medical Justice will offer NJSPS members preferred price discounts on its full membership, (encompassing all products and services,) based on NJSPS Member participation.

Fighting Back Against the Changes

August 15, 2024July 22, 2010 by Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD

This past year has seen a tremendous number of changes in the health care industry. The entire health care reform debate raged and ranted, whined and squeaked and finally got signed. There have been strings of action and inaction, push and pull, Congress extending physicians’ payments for a month at a time, (when they could as easily have applied a six-month bandage) as the administrative offices played catch-up with the paperwork. But last month, that all stopped. The administrative agency declared that they would NOT pay on the presumption that Congress would fund it retroactively… and since then, Congress has done nothing to resolve the problem. That’s right. Doctors have simply been working for 21% less, trusting our government to make it right eventually. But this time, it isn’t happening.

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