Opinion

Tort system reflects a greedy society

LETTER — Posted Nov. 26, 2007

Print  |   Email  |   Respond  |   Reprints  |   Like Facebook  |   Share Twitter  |   Tweet Linkedin

Regarding: "Lawyer who sued wrong physician won't pay up" (Article, Oct. 22/29) and "Expert witness sues ophthalmology society" (Article, Oct. 22/29): The American law industry has devised a splendid marketing aid to increase its turnover: the "contingency fee," which rewards the lawyers with a fat slice, 30% to 40%, of any damages they get for their client, but nothing if they lose. No sale, no commission.

Woodrow Wilson once observed, "Law is the crystallization of the habit and thought of the society." Therefore, when society degenerates or when society's moral fiber is impaired, the legal system reflects that depravity.

Greed is as human as eating, and demanding gigantic damages for real or imagined injury is as American as apple pie.

Vadrevu K. Raju, MD, Morgantown, W.V.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2007/11/26/edlt1126.htm.

Back to top


ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISE HERE


Featured
Read story

Confronting bias against obese patients

Medical educators are starting to raise awareness about how weight-related stigma can impair patient-physician communication and the treatment of obesity. Read story


Read story

Goodbye

American Medical News is ceasing publication after 55 years of serving physicians by keeping them informed of their rapidly changing profession. Read story


Read story

Policing medical practice employees after work

Doctors can try to regulate staff actions outside the office, but they must watch what they try to stamp out and how they do it. Read story


Read story

Diabetes prevention: Set on a course for lifestyle change

The YMCA's evidence-based program is helping prediabetic patients eat right, get active and lose weight. Read story


Read story

Medicaid's muddled preventive care picture

The health system reform law promises no-cost coverage of a lengthy list of screenings and other prevention services, but some beneficiaries still might miss out. Read story


Read story

How to get tax breaks for your medical practice

Federal, state and local governments offer doctors incentives because practices are recognized as economic engines. But physicians must know how and where to find them. Read story


Read story

Advance pay ACOs: A down payment on Medicare's future

Accountable care organizations that pay doctors up-front bring practice improvements, but it's unclear yet if program actuaries will see a return on investment. Read story


Read story

Physician liability: Your team, your legal risk

When health care team members drop the ball, it's often doctors who end up in court. How can physicians improve such care and avoid risks? Read story

  • Stay informed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • LinkedIn