Ophtho medlegal work hourly rate?

[Eyefixer]

Does anyone know what is medlegal work average hourly rate for ophthalmology? Thanks.

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[orbitsurgMD]

Does anyone know what is medlegal work average hourly rate for ophthalmology? Thanks.

The rate usually depends on what you think your time is worth. As testimony under oath is discoverable and carries medico-legal significance not only for the parties but also for the expert witness, the value is usually a close equivalent to the value of work forfeited in any other clinical activity, including the cost of your overhead, which has to be met whether seeing patients or doing chart review or deposition.

Usually if it is just chart review and not deposition under oath, a lower rate might be applied, assuming you can do this in off time and aren't traveling. A lot depends also on whether you want to attract more of that kind of business or not. If you are too expensive, plaintiff's attorneys won't hire you.

Oh, and as a rule, get the money up front, especially if the requestor is plaintiff's counsel.

 

[Eyefixer]

Thanks for the information. I was looking for ballpark numbers as I am about to get involved with this and have no frame of reference at this point. I do have a few physician friends of other specialties who are doing this but their rates are obviously different. Since my initial post I have spoken to a few senior ophthalmologists in the community and got some numbers I can use as base.

The rate usually depends on what you think your time is worth. As testimony under oath is discoverable and carries medico-legal significance not only for the parties but also for the expert witness, the value is usually a close equivalent to the value of work forfeited in any other clinical activity, including the cost of your overhead, which has to be met whether seeing patients or doing chart review or deposition.

Usually if it is just chart review and not deposition under oath, a lower rate might be applied, assuming you can do this in off time and aren't traveling. A lot depends also on whether you want to attract more of that kind of business or not. If you are too expensive, plaintiff's attorneys won't hire you.

Oh, and as a rule, get the money up front, especially if the requestor is plaintiff's counsel.

 

[MstaKing10]

Thanks for the information. I was looking for ballpark numbers as I am about to get involved with this and have no frame of reference at this point. I do have a few physician friends of other specialties who are doing this but their rates are obviously different. Since my initial post I have spoken to a few senior ophthalmologists in the community and got some numbers I can use as base.

and the number is???

 

[orbitsurgMD]

and the number is???

The last time I charged for deposition work it was somewhere between $400 and $500 per hour plus expenses. The time included all travel from and back to my office.