EP 2: Fueled by Fear: Why Scared Patients Will Always Find an Attorney

Meritless malpractice cases are propelled by a cocktail of emotions. The exact recipe varies. Most frivolous cases are products of greed, spite, and misinformation. Physicians must not underestimate the role fear plays in such cases. Scared patients and predatory attorneys are drawn together like magnets. The 2012 New England Compounding Center meningitis outbreak created a lot of scared patients. And numerous malpractice claims. Not every claim was warranted, though. Today, Jeff and Mike dissect two such malpractice claims that were inspired by fear, not medical neglect. How can physicians protect themselves from "trigger-happy" patients during such outbreaks? And what can physicians do to assuage a patient's fears?