Doctor Proposes Not Treating Some Lawyers

Yahoo ^ | TARA BURGHART

[ClintonBeGone]

CHICAGO - A doctor's proposal asking the American Medical Association to endorse refusing care to attorneys involved in medical malpractice cases drew an angry response from colleagues Sunday at the annual meeting of the nation's largest physicians group.

Many doctors stood up to denounce the resolution in passionate speeches — even after its sponsor, Dr. J. Chris Hawk, asked that it be withdrawn.

Hawk, a South Carolina surgeon, said he made the proposal to draw attention to rising medical malpractice costs. The resolution asks that the AMA tell doctors that — except in emergencies — it is not unethical to refuse care to plaintiffs' attorneys and their spouses.

"It expresses the frustration I have with a broken system," said Hawk. He said doctors are leaving his state or retiring early because of insurance premiums — making it harder for patients to receive care.

Neurologist Michael Williams said although he understood Hawk's frustration, the resolution never should have been introduced because it seeks to discriminate against a group of people.

The resolution left the AMA "a really big mess to clean up," Williams said.

For years, the AMA's top legislative lobbying priority has been the medical malpractice system, and some delegates said the resolution could hurt those efforts by giving trial lawyers ammunition.

AMA committees considered more than 250 reports and resolutions Sunday. The committees will make recommendations to the group's delegates, who will begin voting Monday afternoon on policies to adopt.

Last week, the daughter of a Mississippi legislator said she was denied treatment by a plastic surgeon because her father opposes limits in damage suits against doctors.

Dr. Michael Kanosky said he referred Kimberly Banks to other plastic surgeons to have her burn scars removed because he had lobbied on the other side of the issue and saw an ethical conflict.

[ClintonBeGone]

This guy could be on to something.

[ClintonBeGone]

Dupe. Could you pull this?

[Servant of the 9]

Isn't their a subdivision in Southern California that has Deed Restrictions against selling to any Lawyer?

So9

[Chad Fairbanks]

Last week, the daughter of a Mississippi legislator said she was denied treatment by a plastic surgeon because her father opposes limits in damage suits against doctors.

Denied treatment? Whoa...

Dr. Michael Kanosky said he referred Kimberly Banks to other plastic surgeons to have her burn scars removed because he had lobbied on the other side of the issue and saw an ethical conflict.

Oh. So she WASN'T denied treatment. She was referred to another provider. I see. So, she lied then.

[Sender]

I don't see an ethical or legal conflict here at all. Plastic surgery is a completely elective procedure. It has no urgency or lifesaving value. If I were a plastic surgeon, I wouldn't want to risk my practice on a patient who is known to be involved with undermining the medical profession in the courtroom.

OTOH, if they're having a heart attack, ya gotta save 'em.

[Mister Baredog]

Neurologist Michael Williams said although he understood Hawk's frustration, the resolution never should have been introduced because it seeks to discriminate against a group of people.

Lawyers are people?????

[Studebaker Hawk]

A good start.

[mrsmith]

That would be discriminatory- they could be sued.

So they shouldn't treat any lawyers.

[Mamzelle]

Lawyers must have access to medical care. Let's start with a neuter-and-spay program.

[MississippiMan]

Yeah, she lied. And you gotta understand the shape our state is in as a result of medical malpractice lawsuits. I think it can be legitimately deemed a crisis. Unless one has moved there recently, Cleveland, a town of ~20,000 with a small university, has not one OB-GYN doctor. Doctors who have never been sued are leaving the state because the underwriters won't renew their policies or else are increasing their premiums ~1000%.

If I were a doctor, I'd want NO part of treating an icon of the opposition to sensible legal reform. Our Jackpot Jury atmosphere has come home to roost and it ain't pretty.

MM

[Sloth]

Neurologist Michael Williams said although he understood Hawk's frustration, the resolution never should have been introduced because it seeks to discriminate against a group of people.

So? I have no problem with discriminating against malpractice lawyers.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Well, either way, something has got to be done to rein in the legal "profession".

The more I see, the more I realize that the legal profession is responsible for much of what is wrong in this country today, and once I had a dream that we passed a constitutional amendment that created a hunting season, with no bag limit... sigh...

[50 Cal]

Good call!

[OldPossum]

I like the humor in your post #9.

At one point I was ready to go to law school but had to back out because of financial considerations. Looking back, I don't regret it; I found another satisfying career.

Not that there's anything wrong with lawyers.

[SunkenCiv]

For years, the AMA's top legislative lobbying priority has been the medical malpractice system, and some delegates said the resolution could hurt those efforts by giving trial lawyers ammunition.

Putting "lawyers" and "ammunition" in the same sentence just gives people ideas. Okay, so, they're good ideas, so what? [rimshot!]

[SunkenCiv]

Some years ago, a pregnant female lawyer in a town in (I believe) northern Georgia was told by her doctor that he, and all the rest of the doctors in town, had stopped dealing with any oby/gyn cases, and referred her to a doctor in the nearest city (I forget the distance, an hour or more away I think). She'd represented many women who had sued their doctors over various things that happened when they were pregnant and/or gave birth, not all of whom had won their cases.

That's the way, uh-huh uh-huh, I like it, uh-huh uh-huh... Time to throw the ambulances into reverse with the taillights disconnected...

[mrsmith]

So your opinions are always up for sale! Good for you.

Get the highest price you can "Room 101", you don't know what you're selling.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Yes.

[catonsville]

In Jackson, Mississippi a plastic surgeon refused to treat the daughter of a lawmaker who opposed limits in damage lawsuits against physicians. I believe Mississippi has led the nation in excessively high payouts against doctors.

The patient was seeking to have scars removed from a third degree burn suffered in a cooking accident.

The surgeon who, was an activist for tort reform referred the patient to other plastic surgeons.

He said he was behaving ethically.

I agree, since in that State Tort lawyers were decimating the good physician population.

A complaint has been filed with the Medical Board who should stall, then forget about it.

[randog]

Isn't their a subdivision in Southern California that has Deed Restrictions against selling to any Lawyer?

I've heard of this.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Like I care.

[mrsmith]

That's the rationale you assumed Chad had for his views: that it was the money.

I, naturally, assumed you assumed that because you thought that way.

Too much assuming going on? Maybe!

[Chad Fairbanks]

Nah. In all actuality I used to be apathetic, but now I just don't give a s**t ;0)

(I just don't like it when people assume that it's all about the campaign donations. I just dislike the legal profession period).

[ClintonBeGone]

LOL good point. And lets make sure they all have a tag and invisable fence around their offices.

[Chad Fairbanks]

and don't even get me started on insurance companies... ;0)

[1L]

Most of my trial work has been defense, and all my personal injury cases have been on behalf of insureds, so I'm hardly a greedy trial lawyer. However, Texas put caps on MedMal damages and suits in that area have gone WAY down, to the point of virtually eliminating a profitable MedMal plaintiff's practice. We can debate the benefits or disadvantages of that all day long, but insurance rates for Doctors, in spite of the significant dropping of suits, have not decreased.

So the question now becomes whether trial lawyers were the problem all along. Trial lawyers don't make awards; juries do, and judges write the negligence laws. I don't like a lot of the practices that many pure Plaintiff's lawyers (the true believers that think all corporations are evil) conduct, but on the other hand we don't want a system where medical mistakes are not punished.

The health care system in this country is totally screwed up, and you can't blame just one profession for that.

[muggs]

Neurologist Michael Williams said although he understood Hawk's frustration, the resolution never should have been introduced because it seeks to discriminate against a group of people.

As far as I know lawyers are not one of the protected classes of people that cannot be discriminated against. Many property managers, including me also refuse to rent to lawyers and law students.

[BlueMondaySkipper]

If the legal profession gave to the GOP as much as the insurance companies do, and the insurance companies gave to the libs as much as trial lawyers do, would you still advocate the same?

If monkeys were flying out of your butt, would you still be sitting at your computer writing this crap?

By the way, Welcome to FR...

[Bluntpoint]

What whore profession do the insurance companies turn to to screw their claimants in court?

[mrsmith]

Well, to be fair, Chad never claimed that as the reason for his view.

The most amusing response IMO has been the states who have deicded to 'discourage' excessive judgements by taking a large part of the judgement for themselves LOL!

Ah, greed has such a disabling effect on politicians' rationality.

[Dawgmeister]

Actually, the government (and let's not forget the lawyers, bean counters, managers, administrators, insurance types, etc, etc.) has made it IMPOSSIBLE to practice medicine in this country. Medicine by definition is an art and a science and is devoted to the care of the patient. Since all of the aformentioned have injected themselves into the mixture, Medicine became Health Care, a business, an industry, a marketable service, whatever, and the physician has become a customer, a provider, a practitioner, and the patient has become also a customer, or a consumer, or a client. The practice of Healthcare is under the control of about everyone EXCEPT the physician and patient. The problem won't be sorted out unfortunately until a lot of people are hurt and killed. A good starting point might be to return to Medicine. Healthcare isn't broken, it's just what it is, a money-first people-later business. You can't fix what isn't broken.

[Know your rights]

insurance rates for Doctors, in spite of the significant dropping of suits, have not decreased.

Are insurance rates increasing as fast as they did before the caps?

[6ppc]

OTOH, if they're having a heart attack, ya gotta save 'em.

They have hearts? 8^)

[vetvetdoug]

I would like to see lawyers held to the same standards with respect to outcomes as medical doctors are held. Many cases represented by lawyers end up with unsatisfactory outcomes because the lawyer misses a point or has overlooked some fact that would have had a bearing on the case. To go after an incompetent or dishonest lawyer one has to get another lawyer and in my experience the lawyers stick together. They tell me that the outcome was just a bad deal....Well, some outcomes in medicine are a bad deal too. Disbarred lawyers are few and far between and suits against lawyers are rare. Until someone begins to hold lawyers up to the same standards as other professions, the legal profession will run amok.

[hurly]

Why don't we want a system where medical MISTAKES are not punished?? Deliberate malpractice yes, but mistakes happen. You can't blame the medical because someone has a reaction to medicine. That is a risk anyone has taking medicines

[monday]

"If the legal profession gave to the GOP as much as the insurance companies do, and the insurance companies gave to the libs as much as trial lawyers do, would you still advocate the same?"

What does that have to do with it? Lawyers are ruining our economy and making it harder and more expensive for people to get medical care. Insurance companies and doctors aren't. Who gives money to who doesn't matter a bit. All politicians are whores and most are also lawyers.

[monday]

"Many property managers, including me also refuse to rent to lawyers and law students."

You can do this because they have an unfair advantage under the law. I descriminate against lawyers too.

[bert]

....it seeks to discriminate......

The good Dr is a discriminating person. He can separate the bad in our society from the good.


Discrimination and profiling are necessary attributes for living in a liberal,l multifaceted, and multicultural society.

[Xenalyte]

Now that's a homeowners' association I can get with.

[1L]

Are insurance rates increasing as fast as they did before the caps?

I have been told by two people I trust that the rates were the "same." I believe that implies the increase is as fast. I do know that health insurance rates are rising as fast or faster than ever. That's an indirect result -- as health care providers charge more, they pass it along.

[1L]

Many cases represented by lawyers end up with unsatisfactory outcomes because the lawyer misses a point or has overlooked some fact that would have had a bearing on the case.

Its hard to argue in generalities, so can you give me a specific example of what you are referring to?