Expert Witness Blog
In Seven Costly Mistakes Attorneys Make With Medical Negligence Cases, Dr. Burton Bentley of Elite Medical Experts LLC writes:
Although the rate of negligence claims against medical providers has begun to level off, the cost of litigating these actions has risen dramatically. Vast amounts of time and money are lost when attorneys – whether retained by plaintiff or defense – pursue a non-meritorious case or litigate a worthy case inefficiently. Beware of the following costly errors:
MISTAKE #2: UTILIZING AN EXPERT WHO IS NOT BOARD-CERTIFIED BY THE AMERICAN BOARD OF MEDICAL SPECIALTIES When credibility and professionalism is paramount, it is surprising that so many firms utilize experts with questionable credentials. Although the internet has provided countless means by which any “expert” can purchase “board certification”, there is only one universally accepted gold-standard for Board Certification: The American Board of Medical Specialties. The ABMS is a non-profit organization that oversees standards and certification for all twenty-four recognized medical and surgical specialties.
Truly Board-Certified specialists are known as Diplomates and are identified by the words, “American Board of…” preceding the name of their specialty. For example, “Diplomate of the American Board of Emergency Medicine”. Other copycat “boards” employ similar sounding names though they may not use the designation of “American Board”. A Board-Certified actively practicing physician is the only expert with whom an attorney should consult. Utilizing an expert with questionable credentials may prove fatal to your case.
.