If you are considering filing a civil suit or getting a criminal conviction in a wrongful death, negligence or involuntary euthanasia case, you will need legal counsel and a physician's review of your loved one's case. Quite often, an attorney or criminal prosecutor will not even take a case on officially, until it has been reviewed by medical experts. You may also need a nursing legal consultation. Nursing legal consultants can help establish a case for the civil courts and also point out violations of standards of care that may get a prosecutor to go forward with a criminal case. Resources to find nurse legal consultants are listed for your convenience.

Need to File Complaint with State Medical Board

In addition, if you are considering some form of legal action, most courts will want to know what the state Medical Board has determined with regard to the case. You can file a complaint with the State Medical Board as a necessary first step toward legal action. It is wise to get a medical review of the case before filing a complaint with the State Medical Board, since an expert physician may point out areas of malpractice or violations of standards of care which you may not be aware of. You will need to get a copy of the medical record, and a "complete" copy of the medical record. If you are having difficulty getting the medical record, please look at some suggestions about how to get the medical record.

For Expert Medical Witnesses

The American Academy of Pediatrics has an informative description of Guidelines for Expert Witness Testimony in Medical Liability Cases that applies to other areas as well. You may wish to read this to get an idea what an expert medical witness will be working on and how they go about their work.

The medical malpractice attorney who is reviewing your loved one's case will probably have medical expert witnesses that he or she regularly works with. However, if you need to find an expert medical witness, you can try the following resources:

• Charles Phillips, MD
  Fresno, California
  CPhil49401@aol.com
  Dr. Phillips is an ardent patient advocate who understands the ins and outs of health care, HMOs and how to properly administer end of life medications.
  
  
• American Pharmaceutical Care Pain Consultants
  Dr. Fudin is a Diplomate to the American Academy of Pain Management and a member of several professional organizations. He currently has an established clinical practice at the S. Stratton Veterans Administration Medical Center in Albany NY, where he is chairman of the Pain Oversight Committee. He holds academic positions with Albany College of Pharmacy / Union University and SAGE Graduate School of Nursing. Dr. Fudin is Chairman of the Pain Network group for the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. Expert testimony is provided for under-prescribing or over-prescribing pain medications, inappropriate use of medications, drug-drug interactions, drug-disease state interactions, and more.
  
  
• CoMedco, Inc. - The National Medical Legal Consultation Source
  Evaluation of Medical Malpractice Cases - All Specialties, Medical Experts - All Specialties, Discovery and Trial Consultation, Consultation in Health Care Professional Licensure, Medicare/Medicaid Fraud and Abuse
  
  
• Consult, Inc. - owned by experienced medical attorney, Angela Foehl, J.D., M.P.H.
  
  
• Expert Witness Network
  
  
• Findlaw.com's Expert Witness Search
  
  
• Medical Legal Consultants
  
  
• Med-Mal Experts, Inc.
  
  
• RICHEIMER PAIN MEDICAL GROUP
  Dr. Richeimer is triple board certified in pain management, anesthesiology, and psychiatry. His combined training, board certification, and experience provide him with unique qualifications to assist with the assessment of issues related to pain and suffering, and to provide expert witness and consulting work in cases involving pain management malpractice, improper prescribing of pain medications, improperly performed pain management procedures (e.g. spinal injections, spinal pumps and stimulators, and nerve blocks), the diagnosis and treatment of reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD or CRPS), and the effects of pain and pain medications (e.g. opioids) on decision making.
  
  

All material copyright of Hospice Patients Alliance ("HPA") unless otherwise credited.