Ethics

I had another annoying encounter with a doctor who made a sarcastic comment when I mentioned that I teach Lawyers? Ethics.  In fact, it?s past time for the doctors to adopt ethical rules comparable to lawyers?.

Lawyers agonize over cases like Spaulding v. Zimmerman, but I have never heard of doctors expressing concern over the fact that a doctor discovered the plaintiff?s aneurysm and didn?t tell him because the doctor was being paid by (and undoubtedly hoped to be retained again) by the defendant?s insurer.

Also, doctors own or have financial interests in expensive medical equipment and in medical facilities to which they send their patients, and then blame the unnecessary expenses on medical malpractice litigation, calling them ?defensive medicine.?

In addition, they lobby for tort ?reform,? but when they get it, there is no effect on medical expenses or on medical malpractice premiums.

Moreover, they accept large fees from pharmaceutical companies, and then promote and prescribe the companies' products, without acknowledging the fees.