Atlanta-based general surgeon Ronald Kaplan, MD, “got tired of working for nothing” after more than 20 years in practice, frustrated as reimbursement rates steadily dropped. He became a lawyer. He now represents injured patients who sue doctors, after several malpractice defense firms turned him down for a job.
One of his best friends since residency, a surgeon he’d covered and operated with, never forgave him. “When he found out I did plaintiff’s work, he just stopped talking to me,” said Kaplan, the son of a judge.
Other MD-JDs have experienced similar encounters but, like Kaplan, are proud of the work they do. “If you run a red light and hit someone, you should compensate him or her. That’s why you have insurance. No doctor can be perfect,” said Clark Newhall, a surgeon-attorney in Salt Lake City who became interested in law after a legal dispute over water rights he described as “fun.”
Are doctors who become lawyers tougher on the MDs they sue? Or are they more dangerous adversaries because they know exactly what to look for?
I’m sad that a New York judge struck down the 16-ounce size limit for sodas and some other sweet drinks. I think Mayor Bloomberg had the right idea. I get that whole personal freedom argument (although the court just said that it was arbitrary and out of Bloomberg’s purview), that this was a “nanny state” idea. But honestly, when it comes to obesity, we may need nannies to save ourselves—from ourselves.
Think of it like seatbelts. Car manufacturers make them to keep us safe, but theoretically it’s our choice whether to use them or not, right? I mean, whose business is it if we want to take the risk of flying through the windshield if someone runs a light and rear-ends us? It’s our life (or death), isn’t it?
The U.S. Government has been caught conducting an insane amount of vile, inhumane and grisly experiments on humans without their consent and often without their knowledge. Get ready to become one of those conspiracy theory nuts, because after this list, you will never fully trust your government again.
All these stories are Emergency Medicine Department (ER) stories borrowed (and cleaned up) from the forums over at studentdoctor.net. They’re just too good to pass up..
1) Never, ever leave flashlights, beer bottles or any other long, circular object on the floor because someday you will fall on it… and it will somehow impale its way up your rectum.
2) Always do woodwork with your skillsaw before using meth.
3) White latex paint, despite being luxuriously thick and creamy, does not coat your stomach and provide relief like pepto bismol does.
4) If you have taken 7 home pregnancy tests, and they’re all positive, when you come into the emergency department… chances are our test will come back positive too.
5) If you are given a prescription for narcotics, at least have the courtesy of leaving the lobby before you try to sell the pillz.
Many rural hospitals are receiving notices or are anticipating retirement plans from their general surgeon(s). This has been expected, yet has been overshadowed by the struggle to recruit and keep primary care providers. All areas of the United States will suffer a shortage of general surgeons now and in the future, yet rural areas will bear the brunt of the shortage. There are many reasons for the problem but most focus on supply, demand, overspecialization of the specialty, and lifestyle factors. We must also consider the fact that in rural locales, other surgical specialties are not typically available to help meet demand. As an example, an urban-based physician may primarily practice as an ENT, yet be able to fill in the work schedule with other surgical options that cross over into what is typically general surgery domain in rural areas. So.. what has changed?
The National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH) has said it no longer wants to rely on the definitions of mental illness put forth in the DSM for a variety of reasons. First, neuroscience is slowly rendering psychiatric definitions of mental illnesses obsolete.
Which drugs are actually killing Americans? Popular Science combed through overdose statistics from the CDC and turned the numbers into an infographic.
If you ever wondered whether the health insurance crisis in the United States was really something to worry about, this new study will give you pause. A randomized poll of thousands of Americans revealed that almost half had no insurance or inadequate insurance for at least part of last year.
While DNA is the building block of life, its cousin RNA keeps the show running smoothly, as it carries the information from DNA that allow genes to be expressed. RNA’s ability to increase or decrease the expression of genes means it has huge potential to treat diseases at the genetic level, including tumors and chronic wounds.
Whenever you imagine any kind of altered reality — from dreams, to drug trips, to warp speed — the main image is always a tunnel, ringed by regular geometric patterns. And most of us see those odd, tunneling patterns at some point in our lives. What exactly is it about our brains that creates them?
