The 10 Biggest Legal Mistakes Physicians Make by Failing to View Legal Issues Properly
By Steven I. Kern, Esq.
Executive Summary
The U.S. legal system is perhaps the most complex in the world. Over the past 20 years, health care has evolved into one of the most regulated and complicated areas of U.S. law. Each patient encounter involves myriad compliance issues. Most transactions implicate often obscure rules and regulations, and attorneys practicing health care law must devote hours each week just to keep up with the ever-changing laws affecting physicians and their practices. An attorney in general practice is no more qualified to handle physicians’ legal matters than a family practitioner is qualified to perform transplant surgery.
Mistake 1 Thinking: “I’m a Good Doctor—Nothing Bad Can Happen to Me”
Mistake 2 Thinking: “I Have an IQ of 160, Graduated Magna Cum Laude, and Know Better”
Mistake 3 Choosing the Wrong Attorney
Mistake 4 Failing to Appreciate That Personal Activities Can Affect Professional Practice
Mistake 5 Assuming That a Medical Malpractice Lawyer Is a Health Care Lawyer
Mistake 6 Thinking: “My Insurer-Appointed Lawyer Has No Interests Other Than Mine”
Mistake 7 Failing to Appreciate the Needs of the Opponent
Mistake 8 Failing to Read the Fine Print
Mistake 9 Volunteering Information
Mistake 10 Trusting the Wrong People
The above has been excerpted from the SEAK text, The Biggest Legal Mistakes Physicians Make and How To Avoid Them