What services does Medical Justice offer? |
Medical Justice offers the only offensive malpractice protection for physicians, designed to deter proponents of frivolous medical malpractice lawsuits and enable effective responses to such suits when filed.
Medical Justice consists of a Service Plan that provides the service or pays the expenses for:
- access to a novel practice strategy designed to deter frivolous medical malpractice lawsuits
- a proven early intervention plan, designed to get frivolous suits dropped
- enable viable strategies to counter proponent of a frivolous medical malpractice suit
- obtaining redress against unethical expert witnesses and others in their professional societies or agencies.
- tools to address defamation against physicians on the Internet
- preventive publicity undertaken by Medical Justice on behalf of its members, including:
- A searchable online database that discloses the names of member physicians. This database serves to notify plaintiffs and their attorneys that physicians are backed by an organization with the will, expertise, and funding to proactively deter frivolous claims and pursue the proponents of such when appropriate
- Public relations campaigns designed to boost the company's presence in the legal, medical and insurance communities
Medical Justice Service Plans are available to address historical or future events as well as ongoing lawsuits. |
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How does Medical Justice membership differ from traditional medical malpractice insurance? |
Typical medical malpractice policies pay for defense against a suit and payout of a settlement / judgment up to specific monetary limits. The structure of the liability system and the financial incentives to carriers puts pressure on physicians to settle a "nuisance" claim to avoid additional legal bills and the risk of losing in court.
Whereas malpractice policies generally do little to prevent or deter a lawsuit, Medical Justice emphasizes a proactive approach that is designed to deter a meritless lawsuit from being filed in the first place.
A hidden component of this benefit is the company's patented pre-emptive strategy, which sets the stage for success long before a frivolous suit is filed.
Medical Justice is the only service designed to deter frivolous claims and enable viable responsive remedies against their proponents. Medical Justice has demonstrated ability to defeat unethical attorneys, dishonest expert witnesses, and unscrupulous plaintiffs. Every day, Medical Justice proves the adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. |
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Must I purchase a traditional medical malpractice policy to be eligible for membership in Medical Justice? |
| No. You do NOT need to have an existing medical malpractice policy to obtain membership in Medical Justice. Benefits are available for most health care professionals. Our goal is to complement the work of your insurer's legal and claims teams, rather than to be at cross-purposes with them. Your primary defense counsel will remain "captain of the ship" until the underlying case is resolved. Because we understand the role and value of your carrier, Medical Justice enjoys strong support from most defense counsel with whom we interact. |
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Can Medical Justice membership have an effect on my medical malpractice premiums? |
The Medical Justice team believes that measures that cut costs for insurance carriers should inure to the benefit of physicians in the form of lower malpractice premiums. This concept is analogous to premium discounts on homeowner's insurance for home alarm systems, or when auto-insurance premiums are discounted after elective completion of a defensive driving course. Carriers have a fiduciary responsibility to reward risk-reducing behavior and provide incentives to decrease the frequency of suits. For example, if insurers offer up to a 15% discount for so-called risk management courses, it is logical to expect comparable discounts at some point for enrollment in a program, such as Medical Justice, that decreases the risk of frivolous claims through its core service offerings of deterrence and early intervention.
Since inception, Medical Justice has been committed to lowering medical malpractice insurance costs for its members and has been a driving force in gaining control of premiums. We anticipate that these savings will be passed on to plan members in the near future. |
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How soon does a new Medical Justice service plan take effect? |
| The plan takes effect within one week, often less, of purchase. If you purchase a service plan today and are sued for an action committed shortly thereafter, you will receive benefits according to the terms of your service agreement. Once Medical Justice is notified of a suit, a letter is prepared, reviewed by you and your defense counsel, to be sent to plaintiff's counsel. The letter notifies the proponents of your membership. |
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Can I obtain benefits for past events? |
Yes. Retroactive benefits are available to address past medical events not yet defined as a claim in a medical malpractice case.
Complementing past medical events is the PE Shield, a powerful tool for addressing open cases. If you are currently named in a case that is pending, we urge you to call Medical Justice at 1-877-633-5878 (1-877-MED-JUSTice) as soon as possible. |
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Do malpractice attorneys take only those cases they believe can be won? |
There are two types of malpractice attorneys: experienced, specialized medical malpractice attorneys and generalists, who dabble in malpractice law.
Experienced medical malpractice attorneys are skilled at determining the value of a case. These attorneys generally make good judgments in their pursuit of medical malpractice cases and they rely upon a trusted network of expert witnesses to obtain sound medical opinion before moving forward.
At the opposite end of the spectrum are attorneys who are inexperienced in malpractice litigation. These attorneys typically do not have a network of expert witnesses at their disposal and lack the background to know how far to proceed with a claim. Further, since plaintiff's attorneys receive the bulk (if not all) of their payment from contingency fees from cases either won or settled, the more time invested by the attorney, the more motivated he or she is to continue pursuit of a case, regardless of the underlying merit.
Medical Justice focuses on deterring the generalist attorney from pursuing a malpractice case by increasing the risks associated with filing a frivolous suit. |
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What if I am currently facing a lawsuit? Can Medical Justice help? |
Yes. Medical Justice PE Shield service plan addresses pre-existing frivolous medical malpractice cases. If you are currently in the midst of a lawsuit, we urge you to call Medical Justice at 1-877-633-5878 (1-877-MED-JUSTice) as soon as possible.
As soon as you purchase a plan, Medical Justice sends a letter to opposing counsel informing him/her of your membership and its service features. This action alone can result in a suit being devalued or dropped altogether.
Further, should you win your case in court, your service plan enables analysis of the case covering expensies and services to file counterclaims. |
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Wouldn’t it be more cost effective to wait until I am sued to purchase plan membership? |
| No. The primary benefit of Medical Justice is deterrence. Defending a suit requires more time and money than you could ever save by "waiting". Once you are named in a suit, your professional liability premiums are at risk for rising. That rise is unpredictable and might even be associated with your coverage being dropped. |
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How do I purchase a Medical Justice service plan? |
The "Services" menu option on our site supplies detailed information about Medical Justice service plans. Once you have enough information to select a plan that is right for your situation, you can go to the "Quote" submenu under the "Purchase a Plan" menu option to calculate a cost for service depending on your plan type, state and specialty. Physicians are generally surprised by the reasonable cost of our service plans.
You can purchase prospective or retroactive benefits online under the "Purchase" sub-menu option, beneath the "Purchase a Plan" menu. To purchase a PE Shield service plan, call Medical Justice at 877-633-5878 (1-877-MED-JUSTice) or speak to one of our dedicated sales reps. |
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Will plaintiff's attorneys be aware of my membership in Medical Justice? |
Yes. Medical Justice provides a searchable database that publicizes the names of member physicians on the Internet. This database serves as notice to all proponents of a frivolous case that the member physician is backed by an organization with resources to respond to cases without merit.
The database is updated weekly. To conduct a search, input the name of the doctor and the state where he/she practices. |
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Is the goal of Medical Justice to intimidate plaintiffs or their agents? |
| No. Malpractice exists and patients who have been injured by negligence deserve an appropriate remedy. The goal of Medical Justice is not to thwart that remedy; merely to make sure that the physician is not unfairly subjected to a system without his own legitimate remedy. |
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Does Medical Justice offer a service plan that provides benefits throughout my entire career? |
| Yes. Medical Justice offers a prospective plan for basic forward events benefits effective from the date of membership; a retroactive plan for past event benefits, optionally dated back to residency; and PE Shield, for addressing an open lawsuit initiated prior to membership with Medical Justice. |
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What is the cost of membership? |
Costs vary according to specialty, service plan and the state where a physician practices. However, Medical Justice plans cost only a small percentage of the typical medical malpractice premium. To receive an online quote, click on the link below or contact our Medical Justice Team at 1-877-633-5878 (1-877-MED-JUSTice).
GET A QUOTE |
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How can I become a member? |
There are two ways to enroll:
- To purchase a prospective and/or retroactive plan, complete the Medical Justice online form by going to the PURCHASE A PLAN menu and clicking on PURCHASE NOW
- For PE Shield plans or for personal assistance with an application, contact us at 1-877-633-5878 (1-877-MED-JUSTice)
If you would like us to send you information by regular mail, fill out an Information Request under the “Purchase a Plan” menu option. |
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