Page 40 - Delaware Medical Journal - March/April 2020

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Del Med J | March/April 2020 | Vol. 92 | No. 2
MEDICO-LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Guidelines for Medical Expert Fees
The fee ranges suggested should be considered only as recommendations to the Judiciary of the amounts the Court should assess in those instances when it is called upon to assess physicians’ witness fees as costs. It is not the intention of the Medical Society of Delaware or its committee to set any fee or range of fees for physicians’ services.
As the Court has interpreted in the past, the range of fees may vary physician to physician depending on a variety of factors such as specialty, degree of expertise, complication of the issues, travel distance, and so forth.
2016 Medico-Legal Affairs Committee Policy Recommendations:
By the Hour Medico-Legal Work............$ 600 – 1000 per hour Deposition & Court Appearance..............$ 2400 – 4000 per 1⁄2 day
Pre-payment Agreements: Pre-payment may be reasonably required in advance for up to half a day of work. Agreements may include provisions for interest and may be required to be paid-in-full before any court appearances. It is suggested that when an attorney requests services, that the physician’s fee schedule be provided in writing.
Cancellation: Due to the differences in practices and demands on time, it is suggested that cancellation policies of individual clinicians be given deference so long as such policies are within two weeks from when scheduled. Such policies may include provisions for mitigation of fees for any successful rebooking of patients. Any cancellation within two weeks may trigger a bill in which the physician is entitled to charge up to the full amount.
Approved by MSD Executive Board 9/8/2016