CHECK OUT A MEDICAL EXPERT ONLINE

Below are some of my tips for checking out an expert online:

1. Confirm address, URL and e-mail address.
2. Confirm license in Texas.
3. Confirm license to practice.
4. Check biographical information.
5. Check news articles.
6. Check published works.
7. Check depositions and transcripts.
8. Check verdicts and settlements.
9. Inquiries to specific forums.
10. Specialty field requirements.
11. Complaints and reprimands.
12. Listed in opposing counsels' expert list.

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1. Confirm address and e-mail address.

A. First search for the expert's own home page (URL) on the web. Use a name searcher (Yahoo, DogPile, etc. - I like the multi-searchers as they cover more ground and will pick up what the others may miss.) and then use parenthesis around that expert's name ("john doe" or "dr. john doe"); however, if you want to limit the search to a certain state, add that state name in the searcher ("john doe" texas) or ("john doe" texas expert) or ("john doe" texas expert orthopaedic).
a. YAHOO
b. DOGPILE
c. THE SURFER
d. ALTA VISTA
e. CYBER 411
f. MORE: Go to Larry's FAVORITE PAGE - SEARCHERS


B. Search for the expert's e-mail address online. Unless the court rules and/or rules of ethics restricts your contacting the designated witness, you may want to get the expert to send his resume, biological report, and bibliography report. Be candid and inform of your interest in the pending case, if any. PLEASE REVIEW THE APPLICABLE ETHICS RULES FIRST.

a. INFOSEEK
b. WORLD E-MAIL COM


C. Search the yellow pages on line. The expert may have ad space that is revealing.

a. For list of yellow pages, go to Larry's FAVORITE PAGE - PHONE BOOKS


D. Search the white pages on line to see if the expert has more than one office address.

a. YAHOO - SEARCH PEOPLE
b. A larger list of name searchers can be found on Larry's FAVORITE PAGE - PHONE BOOK LINKS

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2. Confirm license in Texas.

A. Check Texas State Board of Medical Examiners "Verification" page (http://www.tsbme.state.tx.us/verif/interon.htm)

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3. Confirm license to practice.

A. Doubtful if can find it online, but try AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION - (http://www.ama-assn.org/). At least you may find a link to such state sites.

B. AMA PHYSICIAN SELECT - may be of some assistance. For direct name search, go to and fill in the doctor's name

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4. Check biographical information.

A. AMA DOCTOR FINDER - this will provide the expert's full name, place of business, primary and secondary practices, medical school, year of graduation, place of residency training and certification status.

B. You may be able to find the expert's biography in some of the expert pages linked on my Larry's Expert Page

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5. Check news articles.

A. After you have located the state and city the medical expert practices in, do a boolean search again with your multi-searcher to locate all the newspapers in that area and state ("newspapers texas").
a. Good place to start is ULTIMATE COLLECTION OF NEWS LINKS (http://pppp.net/links/news)
b. Check DIALOG SELECT (http://www.dialogselect.com)
c. Check American Business City Journals (www.amcity.com/index.html)
d. Check WALL STREET JOURNAL INTERACTIVE (http://www.wsj.com)
e. Check my Larry's News Links


B. Find the online URL for each of these newspapers by the multi-searcher if the above searches only list names and not URLs.

C. Run the expert's name through those newspapers' online databanks. Use different names, first using full name, then abbreviations, etc.

D. Nexis (account required) provides news resources (1989 - date).

E. Check my Larry's Medical Links page for other resources.

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6. Check published works.

A. Book sales online include: AMAZON BOOKS (http://www.amazon.com) and BARNES & NOBLES (http://www.barnesandnoble.com)
B. National Library of Medicine (MEDLINE) (http://www.nlm.nih.gov)
C. WEBCATS (http://www.lights.com/)
D. Check the databanks of the medical schools where the expert earned his/her degree or did intership for methods approved.

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7. Check depositions and transcripts.

A. IDEX (http://www.idex.com/")
B. National Expert Transacript Service (http://www.netscripts.com/netsserv.htm)
C. One expert databank that is ever expanding is TRIODYNE's Expert Transcript Center - (http://www.triodyne.com/etc/etc.html) - once on its mailing list, you cannot be (nor want to be) deleted.

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8. Check verdicts and settlements.

A. Lexis VERDCT Library - must have an account.
B. Westlaw LRP-JV database - also requires an account.
C. Law Journal Extra's Verdict and Settlement Database. (http://cgi.ljextra.com/cgi-bin/vds)
D. MORE LAW (http://www.morelaw.com/index.asp)
E. National Assn of State Jury Verdict Publishers (http://www.juryverdicts.com)
F. PaLAWnet (http://www.palawnet.com)
G. VERDICT-TRAK (http://www.jvr.com/)
H. Links to other verdicts and settlement sites (http://www.trial.com/research/index.html)
I. VERSUS LAW (www.versuslaw.com/)
J. Larry's Medical Data Links (http://home.earthlink.net/~laanderson/mischot2.htm#data)

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9. Inquiries to specific forums.

A. Links to various listserv, medical groups (http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/1505/guide.html)
B. To find more listservs, do a search at CATALIST (http://www.lsoft.com/lists/listref.html)
C. To find e-mail lists, go to LISZT (http://www.liszt.com/)

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10. Speciality field requirements.

A. Find one of the specialists listed under my AMA links. (http://home.earthlink.net/~laanderson.mischot2.htm#assoc)
B. AMA links to specialty associations (http://www.ama-assn.org/med_link/nation.htm)

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11. Complaints and reprimands.

A. Texascomplaints, go to Texas Board of Medical Examiners (http://www.tsbme.state.tx.us/) - however, they have not posted any such complaints or resolutions - refers you to administrative hearing links, which have nothing either. Since complaint resolutions are public records, the state agency must give you a copy of all matters resolved, but not those that are still pending or which were dismissed.
B. Nationwide, go to the specific state involved or possibly AMA - but doubt there is any national data banks containing disbarments or complaint resolutions. Most do not keep civil lawsuits matters in the state or national files. National medical associations may have complaints that have been resolved, but they are not state or federal agencies and are not required to disclose such privacy matters.
C. State Medical Board's links to national associations, databanks, etc. (http://www.tsbme.state.tx.us/links/links.htm)
D. State and county medical associations (http://www.ama-assn.org/med_link/society.htm)
E. AMA links to specialty associations (http://www.ama-assn.org/med_link/nation.htm)
F. California shows the reprimands issued against its attorneys. Go to www.docboard.org/ca/df/casearch.htm
G. Medical Malpractice Database
H. Florida reports
I. Oklahoma reports
J. New York Discplinary Actions

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12. Listed in opposing counsels' expert list.

A. Go to following links for those experts generally associated with the plaintiff or defendant:
a. ABA (http://www.abanet.org)
B. ATLA - American Trial Lawyers Assn (http://www.atlanet.org)
C. TTLA - Texas Trial Lawyers Assn (http://www.ttla.com)
D. TADC - Texas Assn of Defense Counsel (http://www.tadc.org)
E. Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers assn - (http://www.tcdla.com/tcdla_start.htm)