Other Healthcare Claims

Overview of the Committee’s Focus:

Malpractice claims arising in the healthcare field are not confined to medical doctors, nurses, clinics and hospitals. Injury lawyers also search for claims they may attempt to make against:

• Dentists and Oral Surgeons
• Chiropractors
• Psychologists
• Podiatrists
• Naturopaths
• Homeopaths
• Acupuncturists
• Faith-based Healers

The lawyers’ allegations against these professionals may include criticisms of patient outcomes arising, for example, out of:

• Therapy Selection
• Treatment Technique
• Referral Suggestions/Timing
• Diagnosis Accuracy
• Sexual Boundary Limits
• Medicine/Supplement Recommendations
• Infection Complications
• Informed Consent Decisions

The Professional Liability Defense Federation’s™ Other Healthcare Claims Committee focuses on this wide swath of healthcare malpractice issues that lie in the shadows of medical malpractice litigation. Standard of care issues unique to each profession, and approaches to causation defenses, are key topics emphasized by this committee. Expert witness recruitment, verdict/settlement ramifications posed by National Practitioner Data Bank reporting, and approaches to juror understanding and acceptance of non-traditional healthcare are additional subjects within this committee’s scope. Committee attention also is placed on doctor representation in disciplinary board proceedings and defense strategies that may be employed in responding to ethics complaints.

Committee members are asked to contribute to article publication, to monitor the PLDF news and respond to member inquiries for assistance, and to assist in annual meeting seminar presentation planning.