General Advice – August 2021

You Get What You Pay For

I have touched on this subject before.

I recently received a request to perform a medicolegal examination (dealing with alleged medical negligence) by a medical defence organisation. Accompanying the letter of instruction was a memorandum dealing with fees.

That memorandum quoted a fee structure that the soliciting agent would find acceptable and also expressed a direction that all fees would be at the “lower end of the scale”.

Every purchaser has a right to deem what is fair and reasonable. That opinion however does not oblige a supplier to comply.

I foresaw problems with this particular agent and therefore declined to be involved. I assume they found some “cut price” reporter around another corner.