When first viewed, the certified letter did not have much to bring itself to my attention, other than the fact that someone in my office had signed for it at delivery. Not until it was opened and I read the first page did I realize that I had just been served – I was being sued for medical malpractice. I still recall the shock that struck me then. When the significance of the summons sank in, I became anxious and the acid started to burn in my stomach. Despite practicing evidence-based medicine, I had become one of the 20 percent of Texas physicians who were involved in a medical liability suit.
The timing of this suit was interesting, in that I was named a defendant only after Texas votes passed tort reform. In the 2003 state legislature, Texas lawmakers passed a bill that would add Proposition 12, tort reform,...
