Treating physicians testify as fact witnesses about their care and as non-retained experts about opinions formed during treatment. Disclosure obligations are lighter than for retained experts.
Physicians typically require fee payment and scheduling accommodation.
Alternative Names:
Treater Deposition, Physician Deposition
Why it Matters?
Treating physicians carry more credibility than retained experts, which makes securing favorable testimony from them more valuable than any expert opinion. The productive examination establishes what the physician actually observed, what the patient reported, and whether causation opinions were formed during treatment or supplied by counsel afterward. The last distinction determines whether the opinion falls within the lighter disclosure rule.
Frequently Confused with
Frequently asked questions
Why is treating physician testimony valuable?
What distinction determines disclosure obligations?
