I started, as most physicians do, with defense work. While I have been thanked many times when my review supports the care provided by physicians, I have been sharply criticized by my peers when I have testified that the care provided by my colleagues was below the standard. It seems to me that ACOG needs to do more than pay lip service via published opinions to those who function as experts for the plaintiff. After all, malpractice does occur, and we need objective, honest experts on both sides.
AOrganized medicine has a schizophrenic view of the expert witness.
Defense experts are lauded as principled champions of the profession, helping to hold off a liability crisis and keep malpractice premiums stable. Plaintiff experts are vilified as hired guns or practitioners of the oldest profession. Yet the experts for each side charge for their services, often at the same hourly rate. When I was working for ACOG and the AMA on medical liability issues, I attended countless meetings at which the problem of the expert witness was discussed. Many solutions were suggested over the years.