Lee J. Johnson, JD

Inform your malpractice insurance carrier any time you have suspicion that a patient is considering a lawsuit.

In these difficult economic times, you may find that more patients are refusing to pay for services rendered and others are complaining more about their care.

For a solo practitioner or a small group practice, cross-coverage arrangements are like oxygen: Without them, there is no life-that is, no weekends, no evenings, no vacations, and no holidays.

A Good Samaritan will be exonerated as long as he acts in good faith.

It's widely known that obesity translates to a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, hospitalization, and early death. So why don't more doctors discuss it with their patients?

The informal consult is held to the same standard of professional expertise and judgment as any other consult.

Contingency fees are the primary reason for such close scrutiny of extraneous legal issues by plaintiffs' attorneys.

Be prepared to defend your choice of telemedicine instead of seeing the patient in person.

Malpractice Consult

Primary care physicians rarely do the high risk procedures that result in big judgments.

When to hire your own lawyer

Make sure the right doctor is covering for you.

Never feud with nurses on the patient's chart; forwarding the records of other physicians.

Your liability when you teach residents