What are the Firing Offenses in Medicine?
Patrick Malone asks an important question over at the Huffington Post: The recent news about the two Northwest Airlines pilots whose licenses were revoked, less than a week after they let their plane wander 150 miles off course, raises the question: Where are the firing offenses in medicine? The pilots injured no passengers, and the event didn’t even qualify as a “near miss.” But becaus

Tort Reform Didn’t Work in Texas
Patrick Barry – current president of the Rhode Island Association for Justice and also member of the Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline – has a great Op-Ed in response to Richard Weekly’s Op-Ed some weeks earlier.  For health care and legal professionals, this piece is a must-read: RICHAR

A Doctor’s Perspective on Tort Reform and Medical Malpractice
Rahul K. Parikh, M.D. has a great article in Salon about the myths of malpractice costs and tort reform: Flu season has come early and I’m writing far too many prescriptions for Tamiflu. I’m trying my best to adhere to the guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control for who should get the drug (kids under 5 years of age, or kids who have a chronic illness like asthma or diabetes). But in more than a few instances, I’ve ignored the guidelines and given Tamiflu to perfectly healthy kids with no risk factors for influenza-related complicati

Boston Hotel Workers File Discrimination Lawsuit
A lawsuit filed this week by seven current and former employees of Fairmont Copley Plaza claims that the Boston hotel and its managers discriminated against employees of Moroccan descent and with Muslim religious beliefs.  According to the lawsuit, employees were verbally and physically intimidated by co-workers following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The lawsuit also includes claims of wrongful termination and retaliation. “There became a pattern of harassment and after the attacks on Sept. 11, the level of harassment increased,” said Rahsaan Hal

Providence Trial Attorney Donates $250,000 to RWU School of Law
Kudos to Providence trial attorney Mark Mandell for donating $250,000 to expand the Pro Bono Collaborative at Roger Williams University School of Law.  The Providence Journal has the story: Providence attorney Mark Mandell, a personal injury lawyer who sits on the Rhode Island Supreme Court Ethics Advisory Pa