Massachusetts joins lawsuit against J&J
April 30, 2010
Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office has joined a federal lawsuit that contends that Johnson & Johnson paid tens of millions of dollars in kickbacks to get its drugs, especially the powerful antipsychotic Risperdal, prescribed in nursing homes, according to The Boston Globe. Read more
Rx for Excellence presented by Massachusetts Medical Law Report
April 12, 2010
Join us for our 3rd Annual
Presented by Massachusetts Medical Law Report
September 24, 2010
Awards Ceremony and Breakfast
7:30 A.M. -9:30 A.M.
The Westin Copley Place
Boston
PLATINUM SPONSOR
GOLD SPONSORS
SILVER SPONSORS
A portion of the proceeds from the 2010 Rx for Excellence Awards will be donated to the Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors .
Click here to buy tickets for the event online.
Click here to read the list of our 2010 Rx for Excellence Honorees.
If you are interested in sponsoring the event, please contact Charlene Smith at 617-218-8211 or charlene.smith@lawyersweekly.com
To buy tickets or sponsor a table, please contact Melissa Mitchell at 617-218-8213 or melissa.mitchell@lawyersweekly.com
Health providers facing stiff HIPAA regulations
January 13, 2010
In the coming months, health care providers and contractors to the health industry can expect broader HIPAA coverage, beefed-up enforcement and stiffer civil penalties for violations. Read more
Credentialing file isn’t protected by peer-review privilege
October 15, 2009
The Board of Registration in Medicine may be entitled to look at certain documents in a doctor’s hospital credentialing file even though it hasn’t begun formal disciplinary proceedings against the doctor.
That’s the result of a new decision from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Read more
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July 6, 2009
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Q & A: Mandated care
October 17, 2008
Q. Does the government’s role in mandating medical services, either judicially or legislatively, negatively influence standards of care?
“Absolutely. They have a lot of good intentions, but they’re not working. We’ll have better health care in Massachusetts if we allow the doctors to police themselves. The Massachusetts Medical Society is fine. Tribunals are fine. At this point in time, there should be one moral and ethical mandate: to provide universal health care. Any other regulatory interference with the doctor-patient relationship is negative. I don’t tell lawyers how to practice law, or firefighters how to fight a fire. The U.S. has the resources and the ability to ensure that every sick person receives medical care. Beyond that, get out of my office.”
— Eric Ruby, M.D.
Chief of Pediatrics, Morton Hospital and member of the Mass. chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
“In my experience, the state’s role in mandating insurance coverage for medical services has had a 
significant positive impact on the availability of quality patient care. … [W]e must be mindful that legislative mandates may affect premiums. … There is also some concern that mandates for specific methods of treatment may become obsolete or be found ineffective as medical science and technology advance. … Legislators should anticipate the eventual emergence of new technologies and advancements in patient care before approving any new mandate, and they should continue to regularly review existing mandates to ensure their compatibility with current standards of care.”
— Rep. Peter J. Koutoujian,
D-Waltham
Chair of the Joint Committee on Public Health
“I would hope that any legislation concerning mandates would always be driven by applicable medical standards of care, without provisions woven in that reduce patients’ rights to legal recourse if they are victims of inappropriate care. If a piece of legislation results in substandard care due to a cost issue, that’s a problem, particularly for those who cannot advocate for themselves, such as the elderly or the poor. The bottom line is no legislation should obviate the physician’s responsibility to provide the appropriate standard of care. The patient’s right to that care is sacrosanct.”
— Annette Gonthier-Kiely
Medical malpractice attorney, Salem
“There are occasions where the government’s efforts to regulate the provision of medical services, 
including the manner by which individual physicians provide that care, have had a significant deleterious impact on the quality of care provided. My recent experience with some of the policies of the Board of Registration in Medicine speaks loudly to the effect of intrusive regulation on the maintenance of appropriate standards. Professional staff members of the board had created such a hostile environment between licensed practitioners, the government, hospitals and patients that there were a growing number of highly qualified Massachusetts physicians who periodically considered, or decided on, relocating to other jurisdictions. Recent changes in the composition of the Board hopefully will lead to the establishment of a more productive environment.”
—Paul Gitlin
Attorney, Rubin & Rudman, Boston, former chair of the Board of Registration in Medicine
Doctor can be sued for patient’s lost chance of survival
October 17, 2008
In a pair of closely watched cases that significantly expand the types of claims plaintiffs can bring against doctors in medical malpractice cases, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has decided that state law for the first time will permit “loss of chance” recovery.
Mass. doctor prosecuted for patient’s death
October 17, 2008
As state authorities bring what is believed to be the first-ever criminal prosecution in Massachusetts against a physician for negligence in the treatment of a patient, doctors have yet another source of stress.
Rx for Excellence: Register now!
October 10, 2008
Join us for a special breakfast and ceremony to celebrate the Rx for Excellence award winners at the Taj Boston on October 31, 2008.
Click here to register now.
Click here for a list of all 40 honorees.
Click here to read the profiles of the award winners.
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