About Legal Medicine
Legal Medicine is a publication on the law that governs medical practice in California — written for the people who practice it, run it, and answer for it.
We read statutes and cases by name and we quote them. We take positions and show our reasoning. We explain consequences in real numbers. When we are wrong we say so in print. We do not write content that exists to rank for a search term, and we do not use the vocabulary of management consulting. The law is not seamless and compliance is not robust. You should be suspicious of any sentence about California medicine that could be reused without modification for California shipping.
We cover the working stack: HIPAA, the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, the Medical Practice Act, MICRA, FEHA, Cal/OSHA, SB 553, AB 3030, the Medical Board's enforcement record, payer behavior, and the cases and citations that change how careful practitioners should work. Two pieces a week — an essay and a shorter case, statute, or response. We skip a week before we publish filler.
Legal Medicine is free and intends to stay that way. We do not give legal advice; when you have an actual problem you call a lawyer, not a publication. We will tell you when it is time to make that call.
Masthead
Lucien Derry — Editor
Most columns appear under the editor's byline at launch. Named contributors will be added to the masthead as the publication grows.
Tips, corrections, and quarrels: tips@legalmedicine.co
The Columns
- Discipline & the Board — Medical Board of California decisions, scope-of-practice, disciplinary trends.
- Privacy & Data — HIPAA, CMIA, breach response, vendor BAAs, the contracts that determine real exposure.
- Operations & Safety — Cal/OSHA, SB 553, facility safety, staff training.
- AI & Digital Health — AB 3030, EHR governance, AI vendor contracts.
- Employment & FEHA — FEHA, mandatory training, NDAs after AB 749, leave law.
- Cases — Public-record write-ups of Board decisions, Cal/OSHA citations, HHS resolution agreements, and the settlements worth reading.
Audience
Physicians, nurses, PAs, practice administrators, in-house counsel at small and mid-size practices, compliance leads at larger ones, and the attorneys who specialize in this state's medical regulation.
What you can expect
Essays. One argument, named in the first paragraph, cited by name throughout.
Cases. Public-record write-ups of Medical Board decisions, Cal/OSHA citations, HHS resolution agreements, and the occasional settlement that changes how a careful practice should operate.
No newsletter padding. No "5 things you need to know." No SEO bait. If a piece is worth writing it gets the space it needs; if it isn't, it doesn't run.