LANCASTER, PA, February 25, 2009  –  James W. Saxton, Esq., Chair of Stevens & Lee’s Health Care Litigation Group and Co-Chair of the Health Care Department, was a presenter at the Ninth Annual Minimally Invasive Surgery Symposium (MISS) held February 16-21 in Lake Tahoe, NV.

Addressing an audience of general and bariatric surgeons, health care administrators and other health care professionals, Mr. Saxton spoke about ethical and legal issues impacting bariatric surgery. He focused on the surgeon’s role and responsibility in patient compliance, highlighting principal reasons for non-compliance and discussing documentation tools to help foster patient accountability and minimize the legal consequences to the health care team from patient noncompliance.

Mr. Saxton lectures frequently and is an invited speaker across the country on health care issues, including liability reduction and risk management. He presents to other nationally prominent health care organizations, such as the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management, the Medical Group Management Association and the American College of Surgeons.

Mr. Saxton is an active defense trial lawyer – a practice he has sustained for nearly 30 years – representing providers, including hospitals, physicians and retirement communities, in state and federal court and administrative proceedings. His practice includes litigation, licensing and medical staff issues. He uses his extensive experience as a litigator to advise hospitals, medical groups and retirement communities throughout the United States in connection with understanding and reducing their professional liability risk.

Mr. Saxton also develops risk reduction strategies for health care providers and organizations nationwide and has created innovative strategies and educational programs to support them. This includes the creation of complete customized loss control programs and event management systems for self-insured organizations and captive insurance groups. Mr. Saxton has published more than 200 articles, several handbooks and seven textbooks including most recently, Five-Star Customer Service: A Step-by-Step Guide for Physician Practices and the second edition of the popular text, The Satisfied Patient.

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