We were lucky to catch up with Noah Kaufman recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Noah, thanks for joining us today. Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.
In the early days of Kaufman Medical Group, Inc. (www.kaufmanmedicalgroup.com) it was just myself rendering expert opinions for astute defense lawyers in malpractice cases. Having sat on Peer Review committees for the UCHealth System in Colorado, and having 17 years of clinical experience in many different practice settings, gave me a clear understanding of prospective “Standard of Care”. I have family members who are lawyers, and my partner is an attorney, and I have always been drawn to writing and the intellectual process of both medicine and justice. It was challenging getting work since it is frowned upon to advertise for medical legal work, or to appear to be profit-seeking. For this reason, I think, there is a large variety of Medical Experts, many of whom have questionable morality and are incentivized to move cases forward and spend more time so that they can bill more. I saw a lack of consistency, integrity and saw that attorneys had difficulty in corresponding with good experts who would render impartial opinions. So I created Kaufman Medical Group, Inc. to curate and vet the top experts in each field who would render impartial opinions, even if counter to our attorney’s position (generally the case for plaintiffs), educate, and expeditiously turn around work all under one consolidated fee structure and invoice for the attorney-clients. The Kaufman Medical Group, Inc. practice has now grown to encompass numerous top experts and our outcomes have been stellar for our clients as we gain word of mouth referrals frequently and don’t need to advertise via traditional avenues. If I were a young professional wanting to get into medical expert work, I would reach out and start in defense work and take a few courses on medical expert opinion writing.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I founded Kaufman Medical Group with a clear mission to supply hand selected medical experts from all specialties who are top of their field. Critical thinking is woefully lacking from many expert witnesses, educators and speakers, and often times, objective expert witnesses are hard to find. Kaufman Medical Group brings extensive experience, knowledge base, convictions and network of revered colleagues to work with our clients. Kaufman Medical Group experts are critical thinkers and they dive deep into matters to bring value to KMG clients. Our experts sit on Peer Review committees and are well trained in evaluating cases prospectively with a strong handle on multi-disciplinary Standard of Care. We work for plaintiffs and defense impartially and would rather create value through educating our attorneys and pointing out angles of argument, lines of reasoning and providing deposition questions for opposing experts. We only render favorable opinions to clearly arguable, logical and fact-supported arguments. Kaufman Medical Group Experts do not spend time on frivolous matters or difficult to argue positions. Our experts often “curbside” each other, providing valuable multi-disciplinary support and decision-making. Actual justice and factual opinions are our forte and goal.
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
Honesty and integrity are an absolute must in our field. We have found so many guns for hire sadly and attorneys are not equipped with the medical knowledge base to discern these supernumerary experts. Often, cases progress because an immoral expert provided false confidence that an attorney’s position had merit. This bogs dow the legal system, wastes time and money for everyone and often times creates unnecessary stress and anxiety for end-clients and their families.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Kaufman Medical Group, Inc. had a case with a woman who was treated in the emergency department and subsequently developed severe disease and had a bad outcome after being sent home. The care she received was standard, but the outcome was tragic. It is natural to want to blame the healthcare system in these circumstances even though all care may have been routine. This case made it to deposition, and I was deposed. Working both plaintiff and defense sides, objectively, gives Kaufman Medical Group an upper hand and clear evidence of impartialness. Our experts are extremely good under deposition and generally possess strong equanimity. The case was voluntarily dropped by plaintiff several hours after the deposition. It’s a “homerun” feeling that we often get because of the logical and experience-driven opinions that our experts render.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kaufmanmedicalgroup.com
- Other: Email founder Noah T. Kaufman, MD at [email protected] for a free 20 minute discussion about your case or referral to a proper specialist within our group.