Roy,
I wish that were true. Of course, I am confused. For some reason I was subpoenaed by both sides. Our lawyer (the one for the mother) is a nice guy, but it court-appointed and doesn't know a pediatrician from an anesthesiologist. I basically told him anesthesiologists make $300,000 a year and take call one in ten.
I don't think that the lawyer would be able to prove his case half as well with progress notes compared to my testimony. I was able to testify that the 10-month-old and two-year-old are happy, do behave well in the room for their age, are well developed, don't need to come to every well child exam that Medicaid deems necessary, are up to date on their shots and would be better off with their parents than in some foster home somewhere. I had to explain that less than 1% of my Mainecare (Medicaid) patients refuse vaccinations while > 9% of my private insurance patients refuse them. I had to testify that while it is possible that prenatal exposure to Percoets may cause developmental delays that it isn't necessary linked to autism. I had to rebut the child psychologist who had seen the children for three hours total that the fact that the two-year-old was slow to warm to strangers he was not show any signs of ASD. I had to rebut the child psychologist's testimony that no 10-month-old should ever be left in a car seat for any time at all out of a car or it would inhibit their development. I wanted to, but couldn't state that this same child psychologist walked down the hallway outside the courtroom screaming to anyone who would listen that "there are nothing but sick people in the world," and "the lawyer for DHHS were not trying the case in a manner that would remove the kids from the home." Sorry, for the complete recital of that case from my perspective.
The issue here is that we all used to think there were three branches of government: the judicial, the executive and the legislative. But, I have come to find out after more than ten years of practice in Maine, that DHHS in Maine constitues the fourth branch. There is no organization (and this is not hyperbole here) that has more unlimited and uncheck power than DHHS. They subpoenaed me for the incredible fee of $11.60. And, although I have threatened to now show up unless they reimbursed me fairly, their would be a warrant for contempt of court; and they would arrest me right at my office.
