"You have high blood pressure.”
“I'd like a second opinion.”
“You have low blood pressure.”
“No, I mean I'd like a second opinion from another doctor.”
“Oh, but I'm not a doctor.”
“You're not? You're not a licensed physician? You haven't been to medical school?”
“No, I'm an attorney. I've been to law school and I passed the bar.”
“If you're not a doctor, how can you offer medical opinions?”
“Well, I may not be a doctor, but I know lots of medical terms and use many of them correctly. Plus, I've sued lots of doctors and have experience second-guessing them.”
You wouldn't ask a doctor for a legal opinion, so why accept medical advice from a lawyer – especially one who's hoping to gin up a medical malpractice case.
Maybe you wouldn't accept and act on medical advice from an attorney, but some people do – at their own peril.
With so many personal injury attorneys advertising in Texas media and making misleading and inflammatory claims about prescription drugs, drug manufacturers, and physicians, it's really not surprising that some patients may begin to doubt their doctors and even discontinue the drugs and regimens they've prescribed.
Eight out of 10 Texas doctors agree that “personal injury lawsuit ads can lead patients to stop taking their medicines as prescribed,” according to a recent survey by Texans Against Lawsuit Abuse (TALA).
“The amount of personal injury lawyer advertising on television and, even more so online, continues to skyrocket,” reports TALA Executive Director Jennifer Harris. “These sorts of ads can be highly deceiving, and that’s why we’re concerned. Consumers may not realize that doctors are not the ones dispensing the information, offering the publications, or providing advice.”
“Don’t let a lawyer be your doctor!” That's the healthy advice that Harris and her group offer to anyone seeking or receiving medical care. It's okay to seek a second opinion. Just make sure to get it from another doctor.