‘Malpractice--the Doctors’ Rx’

Dr. Bernard Lo is quoted in your article as saying, “The best defense against a lawsuit is a good doctor-patient relationship.” This observation misses the point, while at the same time having useful implications.

It misses the point in that such a relationship would hardly dissuade the “professional plaintiffs” (whom the program claims to identify) from carrying out their litigious intentions.

The best defense against malpractice suits is claimed by many to be negligence-free practice. Clearly such behavior might be effective against losing such a suit, but certainly it is no protection at all from their being filed and tenaciously pursued.

The physician-defendant in a baseless malpractice suit (as about 90% are according to their final adjudication) may look forward to years of pressuring to “settle” both from his insurance carrier (cheaper than carrying through to judicial vindication) and from the plaintiff’s attorney.

Finally, Lo should realize that many suits arise in circumstances where time has not allowed the growth of a “good doctor-patient relationship.” This is especially true in severe emergencies where surgical, obstetrical, and neurosurgical specialists--those most often sued--are called in to treat patients who, of course, are strangers to them.

EDWARD C. BRESSLER MD

Los Angeles