Doctors in Hawaii Now Make Web-Calls
The Hawaiian Medical Service Association, a state program partnered with Blue Cross-Blue Shield, is breaking new ground by making making house calls available to everyone in the Aloha state — via the internet. American Well, the company offering Web-Calls, will begin providing this service in Hawaii on January 15, 2009.
Can You Be Sued For Bad Bedside Manners?
This case is gaining a lot of attention and, surprisingly, many of the people who hear only part of the story are sympathetic to the doctor. Those people suggest that since the mother and child are well there is no real case, so they should be quiet and let it go. Some are saying that …
Colorado Makes MD’s History Public
Beginning in May of 2009, the public will be able to go to a website, search for physicians’ files, and take a very close look at the history of that doctor. This same information is already available for some 1300 Colorado physicians, but is about to include the remaining 2000 doctors, thanks to CO HB …
Electronic Health Records & Comms
The talk of the healthcare industry these days is Electronic Health Records, (EHR, EPR, etc.) and other electronic communications (such as virtual visits, email communications with patients, online consults, whether with or without video, etc.) Yes, the Internet and computers have much to offer, potentials we’ve only begun to tap. A few years ago, there …
When Faced With A Deposition
Nearly all physicians are doing the best they can for their patients. We all hope you’re never served with a malpractice suit, but sometimes things happen. We’re all human beings. When we make mistakes, we regret them and wish we could take them back. We feel bad about the error and any consequences the patient …
Medical Malpractice Company Pays Dividends
Generally speaking, once a premium is paid to an insurance company, it is gone. The Louisiana Medical Mutual Insurance Company (LAMMICO,) which was founded in 1981, announced its first dividend to policyholders in the spring of this year, 2008. That’s quite a long time to wait for a dividend return, if it were just that …
Sideline Risk Potentials for M.D.s & Board Members
A recent case involving a county-run nursing home in New Jersey brings up an important potential risk for physicians. In that facility, the subcontracted administrator, an employee of Innova, had withheld status reports from the supervising Freeholder board members for at least six months. Innova’s administrator, John Rosolia, defended that the facility was newly added, …
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Dental Malpractice Includes Cosmetics
A jury in Bridgeport, CT, recently awarded just under $200,000 in damages to a woman who ended up with “horse teeth” after being promised a beautiful smile. The dentist, Darren Martinez, of Stamford, CT, defended himself by stating that he couldn’t be guilty of malpractice if he hadn’t (sic physically) harmed the woman. The jury …
Ethics of a Malpractice Suit
We’ve posted articles here before about the importance of having the right to decide whether a case is settled or not. In those circumstances, the point was that you may not want the insurance company to settle, as that reflects badly on your practice and you may not feel you had done anything inappropriate. This …
Medical Protective Company Earns AA+ Rating
Ambest, the 109 year old credit rating agency for this industry, has pronounced and affirmed the financial strength of The Medical Protective Company, based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, granting them an AA+ rating as an insurance provider. They further state that the company’s financial strength and credit rating are both stable. Such a rating is …