Branch MacMaster is involved in many different areas of health law. Our practice is distinguished by the many diverse interests we represent.
The practice is led by Jim MacMaster who taught health law as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Masters of Health Administration and Masters of Health Sciences programs offered by the Department of Health Care and Epidemiology of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of British Columbia. Jim taught this course for nine years from 1989 to 1998. Jim is also a member of the B.C. Branch of the Canadian Bar Association Health Law Section where he has served on the Executive. As well, he is a member of the Medical Legal Society of British Columbia.
Our firm plays a leading role in managing regulatory issues for health professionals. We have acted as counsel for professional governing bodies advising on legislation, regulations, bylaws, the Health Professions Council scope of practice review and legislative review, applications for designation pursuant to the Health Professions Act, professional standards, and professional discipline.
Within the discipline context, we have acted for discipline committees on a broad range of topics including scope of practice issues, advertising, continuing education, sexual misconduct, and criminal offences. We have also been involved in advising colleges in relation to discipline following billing audit processes. We also have experience acting for individual health professionals who are involved in regulatory issues particularly with their regulatory body and with the billing audit process.
We have been consistently involved in a broad range of malpractice issues for health professionals. We act in the liability defence of chiropractors. However, we also act for plaintiffs in cases involving other health professionals.
For the past ten years, we have been engaged exclusively in B.C. by the former national blood transfusion service in connection with the liability defence of all blood litigation. This includes numerous AIDS and Hepatitis C cases including the defence of the hepatitis class actions. As well, we have had experience defending a pharmaceutical company in relation to a drug product involved in experimental trials.
For approximately ten years, we have provided legal advice on medical affairs to one of British ColumbiaÕs largest regional hospitals. This advice focuses on hospital privileges for medical doctors, quality assurance issues, internal discipline procedures, and patient care issues. We have also acted for a number of individual doctors in relation to hospital privilege issues at other hospitals in British Columbia.
We have had the opportunity to advise individuals, health professionals, and hospitals on consent, confidentiality and privacy, refusal of treatment, termination and withdrawal of treatment, and patient records issues.