Posted On: July 28, 2010

Doctor Sues to Silence Patient

I read blog post today by my colleague Catherine Bertram, a medical malpractice lawyer in Washington D.C. that I thought was interesting.

Dr. Sues Her Patient

She has posted about a California physician, Dr. Kimberley Henry, who has sued one of her own patients who posted a negative review about Dr. Henry online. I wonder if Dr. Henry is opposed to online rating websites generally or just the ones that say bad things about her? Keep in mind that Dr. Henry has signed up for some of these webites and posted her profile.

Gag Orders

Last year I posted about a similar issue Doctors Forcing Patients to Sign Gag Orders .

Catherine's post indicates that some doctors are becoming more aggressive about trying to prevent patients from exercising their right to freedom of expression.

Coming to Canada?

I'm not aware of any similar suits here in Canada, but the online doctor rating sites like Rate MD are a great resource for Canadians. Is it only a matter of time before we start to see doctors suing their own patients?

What do you think? Let me know by posting a comment.

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Posted On: July 8, 2010

Beware the July Effect:Hospital Deaths Spike in Summertime

Summertime is Dangerous in Hospitals

Past studies have shown that teaching hospitals experience higher rates of medical errors. It is referred to as the "July phenomenon" in the U.S. or even more morbidly the "August killing season" in the U.K. The problem has been confirmed to exist in Hospitals in Australia as well.

More Medical Students = More Deaths?

Ironic isn't it? Hospitals have to meet higher standards to be certified to teach medical students. Higher standards for the students but it ends up resulting in lower quality care for patients.

A new study has identified a ten percent increase in deaths due to medication errors . The death rate spikes in July, when all the eager new med students graduate and start their training.

One more reason to be careful this summer.

Continue reading " Beware the July Effect:Hospital Deaths Spike in Summertime " »

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Posted On: July 6, 2010

John McKiggan elected President of Trial Lawyers Association

I am proud to say that I was elected president of the Atlantic Provinces Trial Lawyers Association (APTLA) at our annual meeting in St. Andrews N.B.

APTLA is:

...dedicated to obtaining legal redress for those who have suffered injury or injustice, and to preserving the rights of the injured to full and fair compensation.

A worthy goal and one that I am pleased to support.

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