why a doctor attorney conference should not include the patient

by Brett Conroy 8 min read

While in a perfect world most attorneys would prefer not to have to send clients to doctors, the reality is that people who seek treatment with doctors unfamiliar with this area of law are often placed at a disadvantage because the insurance companies will devalue their claim because of insufficient documentation of the injury.

Full Answer

Can a physician be held liable for a patient's breach of contract?

Mar 13, 1994 · Some health care providers choose to remain silent for several reasons: an aversion to lawyers, an aversion to the legal system and its processors, having been frustrated or “burned” by an attorney who represented a former patient, or believing that his/her credibility will be compromised if legal matters creep into discussion with the patient.

Why do attorneys use the words of a nurse in medical records?

The focus should be on the ATTORNEY during cross examination and not so much on the witness. The attorney should have a commanding appearance and demeanor. The operative word here is SHOULD. The reality is that there are some attorneys who are amazing at cross examination. There are some attorneys who are just good at cross examination.

What should you not do when writing a patient report?

Jan 11, 2018 · In this situation an attorney may be able to send the client to an orthopedic surgeon to fix the underlying issue so the client can live pain free and not have to deal with discomfort. Attorneys can send clients to doctors who understand the settlement and litigation process. This is important because insurance companies evaluate medical ...

What happens when an attorney reviews medical records?

Aug 15, 2016 · Please do not act or refrain from acting based upon what you read in anything I write on Avvo without retaining your own lawyer in your state. Also please remember that this post does not form an attorney/client relationship between you and me. If you have specific legal questions, you should contact an attorney in your state for assistance.

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Can you discuss patient cases?

Medical ethics rules, state laws, and the federal law known as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), generally require doctors and their staff to keep patients' medical records confidential unless the patient allows the doctor's office to disclose them.May 29, 2018

What are the exceptions to doctor-patient confidentiality?

Other legal exceptions to a breach of doctor-patient confidentiality include: Medical treatment of injuries that could relate to criminal conduct (e.g., gunshot wounds, drunk driving, hit and run). Disclosures to the patient's health insurance company for the purposes of getting insurance coverage for treatment.Nov 17, 2020

What is the legal relationship between doctor and patient?

Normally, the doctor-patient relationship is formed when the patient seeks medical treatment and the doctor agrees to provide the treatment. Doctors are under no legal obligation to undertake the medical care of a patient. Thus, doctors only have a duty of care to those they agree to treat.

Can doctors discuss patients with other doctors?

Yes. The Privacy Rule allows covered health care providers to share protected health information for treatment purposes without patient authorization, as long as they use reasonable safeguards when doing so. These treatment communications may occur orally or in writing, by phone, fax, e-mail, or otherwise.Nov 3, 2003

What are the limits of patient confidentiality?

He or she cannot divulge any medical information about the patient to third persons without the patient's consent, though there are some exceptions (e.g. issues relating to health insurance, if confidential information is at issue in a lawsuit, or if a patient or client plans to cause immediate harm to others).Nov 30, 2018

In what cases can the medical data of the patient be disclosed?

It can be disclosed to the parents or the legal guardian of the patient where the patient is not of legal age or mentally incapacitated; and if the patient is of legal age, then, the information can be disclosed with his right to choose the person to whom the medical information should be communicated.Feb 23, 2020

What are the key ethical issues related to doctor-patient relationship?

The sorts of ethical issues that emerge may be about patient competence, the sufficiency of information provided to patients, understanding, voluntariness and coercion, authenticity of decision-making and like matters.

Why is there a failure in doctor/patient relationship?

Frequently, there is lack of adequate counselling before the commencement of treatment regarding the potential risks and complications. The communication part is left to the doctor only, who may be good in his craft but may not be proficient in this art. Nobody teaches communication skills in medical colleges.May 4, 2017

What is an ethical doctor/patient relationship?

The relationship between a patient and a physician is based on trust, which gives rise to physicians' ethical responsibility to place patients' welfare above the physician's own self-interest or obligations to others, to use sound medical judgment on patients' behalf, and to advocate for their patients' welfare.

Under which circumstances should you share information without the patient's consent?

Ask for consent to share information unless there is a compelling reason for not doing so. Information can be shared without consent if it is justified in the public interest or required by law. Do not delay disclosing information to obtain consent if that might put children or young people at risk of significant harm.

Can doctors gossip about patients?

Yes. A recent study published by researchers at the University of California concluded that “Gossip is ubiquitous.”Apr 6, 2021

What are the 4 most common HIPAA violations?

The 5 Most Common HIPAA Violations
  • HIPAA Violation 1: A Non-encrypted Lost or Stolen Device. ...
  • HIPAA Violation 2: Lack of Employee Training. ...
  • HIPAA Violation 3: Database Breaches. ...
  • HIPAA Violation 4: Gossiping/Sharing PHI. ...
  • HIPAA Violation 5: Improper Disposal of PHI.
Mar 19, 2018

A Paradigm Shift

Pharmaceutical, hospital, medical, nursing and other healthcare conferences are usually created for healthcare professionals. Patients have not been able to afford to go to them nor have they been allowed to cross the membership or professional barriers to attend these meetings.

Who Is The Patient?

The answer seems obvious, yet there is some debate. For example, Amanda Greene feels that, “A patient is someone who has a health concern, chronic or not. A patient advocate is someone who speaks up for patient concerns.”

Do Patients Understand the Content of Healthcare Conferences?

Organizations like the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) are training patients to attend conferences. Their program called Project Lead trains participants in the science of breast cancer.

The Welcome Mat or Thrown Tomatoes

After attending a conference on diabetes and depression, Scott Strange reacted to this statement by a provider,”At events like these, patients are a distraction when HCPs want data first, implications second.

Is the legal profession dependent on technology?

According to the American Bar Association, the legal profession has become ever more dependent on technology in recent years. No matter the primary focus of a legal conference, you are very likely to find vendors and presenters who have been able to combine technology with the business side of the legal sector; this would be a fantastic opportunity to see the latest and greatest software available today.

What is CLE in law?

The attorney licensing authority in every state mandates that a lawyer obtain a certain amount of continuing legal education credit during a specific time period. As a result, an attorney needs to be able to access approved continuing legal education, or otherwise called CLE (because who doesn’t love acronyms).

Jennifer L. Ellis

Lawyers tend to have busy schedules, so they generally will set a time to speak with people. This way they can avoid playing phone tag. The lawyer could be telling you that you don't have a case or the lawyer could be telling you that you do have a case. The fact that he scheduled a call does not suggest either one is more likely...

Ted Zink Jr

There is no way anyone here can tell you what your attorney has in mind, or why he's scheduled the call for Thursday. Be patient, you'll learn more on Thursday.#N#More

Michael Gordon Sribnick

There is no way to read your lawyers mind. Perhaps he wants you to hear what the doctor has to say, but that is speculation on my part. You will have your answer on Thursday. Thus far you have shown nothing unethical.#N#Dr. Michael G. Sribnick, Esq. attorney in Charleston, S.C.#N#Michael G. Sribnick, M.D., J.D., LLC...

Guidelines for Medical Charting

All appropriate blanks must be filled in or boxes checked. Empty spaces give the impression that care was not delivered, side rails were not up as ordered, or the patient was not turned in bed or out of bed as required. The patient’s attorney will carefully scrutinize all of the forms in the medical record.

Service Area

Attorney Maureen Kroll provides services in Westmoreland County, PA, including the communities of Greensburg, Irwin, Jeannette, Ligonier, Mt. Pleasant, North Huntingdon, Latrobe, and Scottdale.

Do physicians use email?

Many physicians use e-mail and have websites that allow for automatic e-mail and give their e-mail address. Having such a website and putting the e-mail address on professional letterhead or business cards constitutes an implied invitation to patients to use e-mail to communicate with the physicians.

What is proper notice?

Most courts have held that proper notice means that the notice of withdrawal must be actually communicated to the patient and must give the patient sufficient time to obtain other medical treatment from another physician of the patient’s choosing.

What is an abandonment claim?

Abandonment is a legal claim that occurs when a physician terminates the professional relationship with a patient without reasonable notice and when continued care is medically necessary. There is no reason physicians cannot go through an entire career without ever having an abandonment claim made against them.

Is an outpatient presentation the same as an inpatient presentation?

Outpatients may be presented similarly to inpatients. Your presentation’s focus, however, should align with your outpatient clinic’s specialty. For example, if you are working at a cardiology clinic, your presentation should be focused on your patient’s cardiac complaints.

What is oral case presentation?

Oral case presentations are generally made to a medical care team, which can be composed of medical and pharmacy students, residents, pharmacists, medical attendings, and others. As the presenter, you should strive to deliver an interesting presentation that keeps your team members engaged.

Why is oral presentation important?

Effective oral case presentations help facilitate information transfer among physicians and are essential to delivering quality patient care. Oral case presentations are also a key component of how medical students and residents are assessed during their training. At its core, an oral case presentation functions as an argument.

Do you need to memorize a presentation?

However, while there is no need to memorize your presentation, there is no better way to lose your team’s attention than to read your notes to them. Be honest: Given the importance of presentations in guiding medical care, never guess or report false information to the team.

What is an ED course?

Emergency Department Course. The emergency department (ED) course is classically reported towards the end of the presentation. However, different attendings may prefer to hear the ED course earlier, usually following the history of present illness.

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A Look at Patients Included

A Paradigm Shift

  • Pharmaceutical, hospital, medical, nursing and other healthcare conferences are usually created for healthcare professionals. Patients have not been able to afford to go to them nor have they been allowed to cross the membership or professional barriers to attend these meetings. Yet patients are raising their voices to have open access, not only to medical journals, but also to th…
See more on medivizor.com

Who Is The Patient?

  • The answer seems obvious, yet there is some debate. For example, Amanda Greenefeels that, “A patient is someone who has a health concern, chronic or not. A patient advocate is someone who speaks up for patient concerns.” But if “we are all patients,” it is very easy to implement Patients Included. Even the professionals who already go to the conferences can be the patients and sel…
See more on medivizor.com

Purpose of Patient Participation

  • “Nothing About Us Without Us”
    “Nothing About Us Without Us” is the motto of the Disabled Peoples International. The organization was created in 1981 in response to the Rehabilitation International Conference in Winnipeg where only 200 people with disabilities were allowed in a meeting of 5000 conference …
See more on medivizor.com

Do Patients Understand The Content of Healthcare Conferences?

  • Organizations like the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) are training patients to attend conferences. Their program called Project Leadtrains participants in the science of breast cancer. “The courses prepare graduates to engage in the wide range of local and national forums where breast cancer decisions are made.” Among other activities their graduates “Partner with scientis…
See more on medivizor.com

The Welcome Mat Or Thrown Tomatoes

  • After attending a conference on diabetes and depression, Scott Strangereacted to this statement by a provider,”At events like these, patients are a distraction when HCPs want data first, implications second. It’s for the best, trust me.” Scott wondered if “these events…have a cultural bias against patients presenting, viewing them as simply a “bitchfest” in front of an audience.” H…
See more on medivizor.com

Satisfy Continuing Legal Education Requirements

  • The attorney licensing authority in every state mandates that a lawyer obtain a certain amount of continuing legal educationcredit during a specific time period. As a result, an attorney needs to be able to access approved continuing legal education, or otherwise called CLE (because who doesn’t love acronyms). In addition to CLE offered at a legal conference, you are also likely to be …
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Networking Opportunities

  • Our next reason is that of networking potential. This includes the chance to connect with fellow legal practitioners (both in and outside of your specialty), potential mentors, and even some of those in school. As a legal professional, you can gain a great deal by developing relationships with other attorneys. Of course, legal conferences themselve...
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Connecting with Experts

  • On a note related to networking with fellow attorneys at law, legal conferences can also provide you the opportunity to connect with experts of different types. Networking outside your field is never a bad thing. The reality is that the most effective lawyers, at this juncture in the 21st century, are those that are able to draw upon the spectrum of reliable resources. Let’s face it, we can’t kn…
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Garner Latest Info on Technology and The Legal Profession

  • According to the American Bar Association, the legal profession has become ever more dependent on technology in recent years. No matter the primary focus of a legal conference, you are very likely to find vendors and presenters who have been able to combine technology with the business side of the legal sector; this would be a fantastic opportunity to see the latest and grea…
See more on practicepanther.com

Promote Your Practice

  • In addition to my previous points, the business side of your law firm could always benefit from legal conferences. Implementing an effective marketing plan can be difficult no matter the size of a law firm. With that said, a significant number of law practices fall short when it comes to marketing, public relations, and media relations. Legal conferences provide an attorney the oppo…
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Final Thoughts

  • Many legal conferences are recurring annual affairs. As a closing thought, after you attend a legal conference for the first time (or the first time in a while), if all goes well, you are likely to want to schedule attendance in future years. By attending the same or similar legal conferences, on a regular basis, you are likely to get even more out of it with each passing year. Between educatio…
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