Patients Are Willing to Sign Contracts Against Frivolous Litigation According to Medical Justice Services, Inc.

18 February 2006

Physicians have found an unlikely ally in fighting the high cost of medical malpractice premiums.

Their patients.

According to Medical Justice Services, Inc., a firm that fights frivolous medical malpractice lawsuits on behalf of doctors, virtually all patients are willing to sign a contract in which they agree not to sue their doctor for frivolous reasons.

The same patients also agree to use only expert witnesses from the same specialty for which they are being treated -- an expert in neurosurgery to review a neurosurgeon's care, for example -- should a genuine dispute over their care later arise.

These agreements between the physician and patient are part of the patented services that Medical Justice provides its member physicians. Those services include sending a letter that informs the plaintiff that if a suit is later found to be frivolous, a countersuit by the physician may be filed.

That willingness by patients gives physicians a level of assurance, according to Jeffrey Segal, M.D., a neurosurgeon and the founder of Medical Justice.

"This confirms what I have always believed," said Segal. "Effective health care is a partnership, in which both patients and physicians have a stake in trusting each other. A key part of that trust is effective communications between the two."

But too often, the trust isn't there. Physicians order additional tests, not for effective patient care but to provide a defense to a potential lawsuit. Worse, many lawsuits are unfounded, but the costs of defending them have effectively forced physicians to move to other regions, to abandon high- risk procedures -- or to stop practicing medicine entirely.

Segal said that Medical Justice not only benefits physicians, but also benefits patients -- and ultimately, the community as a whole.

"The best part of it is that patients give up none of their general rights, if there is a legitimate issue for a jury to decide," he said. "Taking frivolous lawsuits off the table, however, will lower the cost of healthcare to all, which will ultimately be a benefit to patients."

Run by physicians for physicians, Medical Justice is a membership-based organization that offers proactive services designed to deter proponents of frivolous medical malpractice lawsuits, as well as a proven strategy for successful countersuit prosecution.

Please visit our website at http://www.medicaljustice.com.

Source: prnewswire

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