[turbulents]

Clinicians seem to think that everyone is out to get them, or at least want to project the image that they're so vulnerable to lawsuits. The truth is, there's no threat to them. Only the most open-and-shut malpractice cases can realistically be litigated, due to the $250k damages cap (in California). And because there's such limited upside for the attorneys, most victims can't even get representation.

But despite all that, as someone who lost a family member due to physicians' mistakes, all we wanted was for the doctors to acknowledge what went wrong and then find a way to learn from it so it doesn't happen again to someone else. Victims understand--doctors are people and people make mistakes. I'm not the type to pursue litigation, but if anything, this code-of-silence/denial/cover-up routine only serves to encourage litigation as a way of making sure the problem is openly discussed.