Medical Ethics

As a patient, you put your faith and trust in your doctor or health care provider. You believe they have your best interests in mind. But do they? When your doctor recommends you have surgery at an outpatient surgery center, instead of a major medical hospital, is that really because it's best for you? Or is it because the doctor is a part owner of the surgery center, and he actually has a financial incentive in you having surgery in his surgery center? Does your doctor disclose the fact that he has a financial interest in the surgery center? Or does he instead suggest to you that the surgery center will be more convenient or less expensive for you? What happens if you have a complication during surgery? Is there a full medical team on staff at the surgery center? Will they be able to handle any emergency that might occur, or will they have to call 911 if something goes wrong? We have handled medical malpractice cases involving these types of ethical issues.

Imagine being diagnosed with a rare condition, and having your doctor advise you the only hope for treating your condition is participation in an experimental drug study. Has this doctor thoroughly researched all treatment options? Or is this doctor receiving compensation from the drug company to enroll you in the drug study? Does your doctor disclose to you he is actually being paid by the drug company to enroll you in his study? There are many ethical issues of drug company interference in the physician patient relationship. Drug studies are just one area where issues arise. Virtually every physician is courted by pharmaceutical (drug company) sales representatives who provide drug samples and other incentives to doctors who are willing to prescribe certain drugs. Is your doctor prescribing a drug to you because it really is best for you, or is it because of the incentives provided by the drug company rep to the doctor? Many medical malpractice cases do have medical ethics implications. We investigate this aspect of every case, evaluating its impact on patient care.