The Trial of a WhiteCoat

Medical malpractice is a process where neither side wins. Patients suffer bad outcomes – some due to medical negligence, some not. Even an accusation of medical malpractice cuts to the soul of any medical provider. As malpractice litigation drags on, both sides are forced to repeatedly relive bad memories as strangers pick through the issues and question their every action. Often it isn’t a matter of who wins a medical malpractice lawsuit, it’s a matter of who loses least. The death of a patient is especially troubling because many people, physicians included, fail to remember that death is a part of life. Death can happen at any time and in any place. An unexpected death does not necessarily mean that someone else is to blame. This story was written for every healthcare professional who has received a summons for a lawsuit and doesn’t know what to feel or where to turn. You aren’t a bad person, and you aren’t a bad doctor. Even if you made an error, you’re human. Sometimes I wish everyone could understand that more. “The Trial of a WhiteCoat is great reading. You should bundle it all together, expand it, and publish it. You could be the John Grisham of the medical set.” This was just one of hundreds of comments I received after publishing a series of posts about my medical malpractice trial many years ago. The series became quite popular and garnered more than 1 million total views. Comments to the posts resulted in many discussions between attorneys, doctors, and patients. Some questioned the propriety of discussing a patient’s medical care online (for the record, facts and demographics about the patient were changed). Others described how much they enjoyed the suspense and how much they learned from my experiences. It is my sincere hope that this book helps to demystify medical malpractice lawsuits and encourages discussion about how to make medical malpractice litigation more equitable and less intimidating for all involved.