May 2005 – A frivolous lawsuit is filed against a physician:
A frivolous lawsuit is filed after a physician suggested hospice care, but the patient lived. Although the majority of lawsuits that do go to trial are won by the physician, the mere act of being involved in a frivolous lawsuit is quite disruptive. Lawyers are paid to be in the courtroom – physicians are not. Every minute spent at depositions and hearings is a minute taken away from what doctors do best – which is patient care. Simply another way the patient loses with frivolous lawsuits.
Related posts:
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- A baby’s remains is lost, the OB is sued
- Patient wait times vs time spent with the physician
- When you go above and beyond . . . and still get sued
- A medical blogger is sued
- Madison County: Days as a "judicial hellhole" over?
- Cap trial lawyer pay
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{ 16 comments }
If some of the care that physicians provide is the best thing they do, then I shudder to think how they get by otherwise.
How come you didn’t say that when I saw you in the hospital last when you had the Foley catheter placement, central line placement, lumbar puncture and intubation? Enjoy defensive medicine!
What they do best? Shirk responsibiliy when it comes to their mistakes? Or is it being a part of an organization (AMA) that likes to threaten the elderly unless their economic terrorism demands are met?
Jeez did you guys actually read the article?
“Every minute spent at depositions and hearings is a minute taken away from what doctors do best – which is patient care.”
What about all those minutes at the golf course?
Anon 10:39…
I don’t think that’s exactly a fair thing to say. Does someone attack you for going on vacation or going to do something fun on a day off? Courtroom depositions and the like generally take place during a time when a physician would be in the office treating patients (or at the hospital, depending) – so yes, it does take time away from seeing patients to be tied up in the courtroom over a frivolous lawsuit. Do you expect physicians never to be allowed to have a day off or play a game of golf?
Actually I don’t play golf I will leave that snobby game to the lawyers.
” Do you expect physicians never to be allowed to have a day off or play a game of golf? “
Not at all, but let’s not pretend that they never golf between 8-5 during the week, either. I realize they believe they should be exempt from having to answer to mortals, but that’s just not the case in America.
I’m not “attacking” anyone, I’m just pointing out that physicians seem to find time to do all the things other people do most days, but the minute it’s something they don’t WANT to do, it’s “taking time from their patients.”
“I’m not “attacking” anyone, I’m just pointing out that physicians seem to find time to do all the things other people do most days, but the minute it’s something they don’t WANT to do, it’s “taking time from their patients.” “
Geez – I guess the weekend golf games will have to go when court is in session on Saturday and Sunday.
Not to beat a dead horse, but golf during an 8-5 weekday might happen. I know for a fact that a doctor friend of mine has golfed during an 8-5 weekday. But he’s also taken call for 2 consecutive weekend days and nights and had to work weekends and even go to the hospital in the middle of the night to see patients at times. The majority of people who work 8-5 jobs get their weekends off….
I have days off during the week where I might go to the mall or something like that, but don’t doubt that if I have these days off, I’m then working 12 hours on Saturday and Sunday.
Golf isn’t snobby – some people who play it might be snobs, but on the whole, it’s not a snobby sport… I only say this because my brother works for a major golf magazine and several of my family members play in tournaments every chance they get. And for a brother who was too injured to continue along with a college-level soccer career, I’m just glad he’s found another outlet in golf.
Take care.
With all that golf and call how does he have time to bang you?
awe, was the call room occupied at 6.24pm?
Sometimes your right, some sue over the littlest things. However, I just go out of the hospital from emergency gallbladder surgery. The nurse in the ER place a line in my arm, which somewhere along the way infiltrated and hence filled my arm with IV fluids and antibiotics. During the following days after the operation, I was on morphine for pain, however, I was lucid enough to realize something was wrong. I complained numerous times about severe pain in my arm, which the nursing staff ignored. When I got home, and came down off the pain killers, I realized the damage that had gone unnoticed. I ended up back in the hospital two days later for a 5 day stay while they tried to break up a very large blood clot in my upper arm. I was sent home with injections and about 4-6 month of medical care before me to deal with the damage that was done to me. So as you can see, not always are the patients wrong, sometimes it is the medical professionals that let us down in out time of need, and in our time of trust. For the life of me, I will never understand why they don’t listen to patients complaints!!!
ANON 6:24
Bad thing about the internet is that it allows cowards like you to say trashy things.
You need to see a urologist for your undescended testicles.
Anon 7:37
I am sorry about your complication but let’s put this in perspective shall we:
1: lines in upper extremities can infiltrate and can result in an upper extremity DVT.
2: I doubt they tried to “break up your clot” (unless they gave you TPA) rather gave you heparin/lovenox until you were therapeutic on your coumadin.
3: The hospital/surgeon very likely saved your life with your emergent cholecystectomy (ie. you very well may have died without the surgery) yet you talk about “the medical professionals that let us down in out time of need, and in our time of trust”. What I see here is someone who while their life was likely being saved, had a not uncommon complication. Please sit down and think about it.
PS: Dr Mangino is right…you are a cowardly eunuch anon 6:24.
Everyone in every profession gives up something. You will likely pass your friends who are currently making more money and your payment stream is probably far more secure than their own. And I would bet that your lawyer friends endure far worse comments, many from your physician brethren, than you do here.
Don’t martyr yourself just yet.
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