Email: [email protected]
Phone: (717) 556-1001
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James W. Saxton, Esq.
Chief Executive Officer
Founder and experienced law firm leader providing direction and strategic vision for the firm’s growth
James W. Saxton, Esq. is the chief executive officer of Saxton & Stump. He is an experienced leader who provides direction and strategic vision for the growth of the firm. Under Jim’s leadership, in its first five years, the firm’s revenue has increased by triple digits for several years and has grown in number of attorneys, business professionals, services provided and geographic footprint. The firm has also strategically added ten affiliate companies and continues to expand on its resources to support client needs. Having led a successful healthcare litigation practice for more than 30 years, he works closely with the firm’s practice group leaders and attorneys to mentor them and focus on their professional growth. Jim has previously served in leadership roles both professionally and in the community. Most recently, he held various leadership roles including co-chair of the health care practice at an AM-Law 200 law firm where he also sat on the firm’s finance committee.
Healthcare litigation practice
In his litigation practice, Jim continues to represent hospitals and physicians before state and federal courts in professional liability and complex litigation matters. His practice includes healthcare litigation, internal investigations, medical staff matters, and strategic planning. Leveraging his extensive experience as a litigator, Jim advises physicians, hospitals, and post-acute care facilities with understanding and reducing their professional liability risk by promoting excellence in patient satisfaction and incorporating certain specific loss control and safety protocols. He has helped create innovative risk reduction tools, including specialty–specific diagnostic clinical effectiveness dashboards and patient experience and engagement tools, many which are now being used nationally. Jim has also created innovative safety programs for captive insurers, many national in scope.
Recognized expert on healthcare law issues
Jim is a nationally known speaker on healthcare issues, including litigation and trial best practices, mitigation, patient safety, as well as overviews of the changes in the healthcare landscape. He has presented to many prominent healthcare organizations on both the state and national level including the American College of Surgeons, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, the American Urological Association, and the Physicians Insurers Association of America. Additionally, he has published more than 200 articles, several handbooks, and seven textbooks in his field, including most recently, Operation Five-Star: Service excellence in the medical practice – Cultural Competency, Post-Adverse Events, and Patient Engagement.
Jim is an active member of many professional associations including being chosen as a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, a prestigious nomination reserved for less than one-half of one percent of the lawyers in the country; Fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia; and Board Member for SE Healthcare. In 2017, he was certified as a member of Lawyers of Distinction, an honor limited to the top 10% of attorneys in the United States. As published in Philadelphia magazine, Jim has been recognized annually on the list of Pennsylvania Super Lawyers since 2012. Additionally, he has been recognized annually by his peers on the list of Best Lawyers in America for his high caliber of work in Litigation-Healthcare since 2016 and as a Select Lawyer in Medical Malpractice Law in 2015.
Dedication to the community
In addition to his legal pursuits, Jim believes strongly in giving back to the community, volunteering in leadership roles, and lending his expertise to many healthcare and community nonprofits. In 2014, Jim was the recipient of the Excellence in Philanthropy Award presented by the Lancaster General Health Foundation’s Board of Trustees. In 2013, he was awarded Philanthropist of the Year by The Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Additionally, Jim was the Founding Board Member of the Lancaster Community Health Plan; Chairman of the Lancaster YMCA Foundation; and prior to that, President of the YMCA Board of Directors. Jim is also a past Board Member of the American Heart Association.
PRACTICES
EDUCATION
Duquesne University School of Law, J.D., 1982
Shippensburg State College, B.A., 1979
BAR ADMISSIONS
Pennsylvania
COURT ADMISSIONS
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
MEMBERSHIPS
College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Fellow
Litigation Counsel of America, Fellow
SE Healthcare Quality Consulting, LLC, Board of Directors
American Health Lawyers Association, ACO Task Force
Healthcare Liability and Litigation Practice Group, Past Chair
Lancaster Bar Association, Professionalism Section
Pennsylvania Bar Association
American Bar Association
Lancaster Community Health Plan, Founding Board Member
W. Hensel Brown Inn of Court, Master Designation; Past President
Lancaster Family YMCA, Foundation Chairman
RECOGNITIONS
Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America
Super Lawyers – 2005, 2012 – 2020
Best Lawyers in America – 2016 – 2021
Lawyers of Distinction – 2017
Select Lawyers – 2015
Rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell
Lancaster General Health Foundation, 2014 Excellence Philanthropy Award Recipient
Selected Publications
I Was Sued…Now What?!, Co-authored with Darlene K. King, Esq., Lancaster Physician, Winter 2020
Physician/Hospital Relationships: Reflecting Back, Looking Forward, EndoEconomics, Winter 2018
Five Star Service – Excellence in GI, GI Journal of Physicians Endoscopy, 2016
I was Sued…Now What, Co-authored with Darlene K. King. Esq., AAE Communique, February 2016
SAGES Inguinal Hernia Educational Program – Hernia Task Force Retreat, Legal Expert Interview, 2016
Taking Bariatric Safety to the Next Level, Bariatric Times, October 2014
Operation Five-Star: Service Excellence in the Medical Practice – Cultural Competency, Post-Adverse Events & Patient Engagement, Co-authored with Maggie M. Finkelstein, Esq., Greenbranch Publishers, 2014
National Speaking Engagements
Keeping Ahead and Out of Trouble, 5th Annual Update in Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), September 22, 2018
Leveraging Data to Change the Risk Management Game, Physicians Insurers Association of America Medical Liability Conference, Colorado Springs, CO, May 18, 2017
GI Patient Experience 3.0: “Getting Serious” Is the Silver Bullet, GI Roundtable 2017, Fort Worth, TX, March 17, 2017
Liability & Economics for Doctors: 1+1 Can Equal 3!, Guy Carpenter Medical Professional Liability Networking Forum, La Jolla, CA, April 14, 2016
Reducing Medico-Legal Risk in Gastroenterology: Why Patients Sue & Implementing Steps to Avoid Lawsuits, Second Annual Update in Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Charleston, SC, September 26, 2015
Medical Malpractice in Urology: How to Prevent and Defend, AUA Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, May 17, 2015
Avoiding Medical-legal Unpleasantness: How to Med/Mal-proof Your Practice, Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) Annual Meeting
Linking Outcomes to Reimbursement While Mitigating Risk, 15th Annual Minimally Invasive Surgery Symposium, Las Vegas, NV, February 27, 2015
Quality/Reimbursement/Liability – A Collision Course?, 10th Annual Medical Liability Insurance ExecuSummit, Mohegan Sun, CT, September 9, 2014
Hospital & Physician Integration: Steps for Successful Collaboration, PLUS Medical Malpractice Conference, Atlanta, GA, April 23, 2014
ACO Type Reimbursement: Impact on Healthcare and MPL, PIAA Marketing Workshop, Chicago, IL, April 10, 2014
Reducing Practice Exposure and A Major Source of Pain: A Surgical Risk Mitigation “Tool Kit”, 14th Annual Minimally Invasive Surgery Symposium Marketing Workshop, Las Vegas, NV, March 1, 2014
The ACA and Beyond: Impact on Surgical Practices, 14th Annual Minimally Invasive Surgery Symposium Marketing Workshop, Las Vegas, NV, March 1, 2014
Implementation of Quality Assurance Initiatives that Make a Difference, 14th Annual Minimally Invasive Surgery Symposium, Las Vegas, NV, February 28, 2014
Reducing Your Professional Liability & Enhancing Your Practice, 2013 ACS Surgery Resident Program, Washington, DC, October 7, 2013
Post ACA – Is the Dust Settling? Impact on providers and You!, 9th Annual Medical Liability Insurance ExecuSummit, Mohegan Sun, CT, September 10, 2013
Post Adverse Event Communication; Medical Malpractice Risk Management; New Face of Litigation; Healthcare Reform, Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship Fundamentals Conference, Sedna, AZ, August 21-24, 2013
A Changing Healthcare Environment – Time to Enhance Your Practice and Reduce Your Risk!, Lehigh County Medical Society, May 14, 2013
Post ACA- Evolving and Accelerating Change: Impact on Providers and You!, MPL Networking Forum, Las Vegas, NV, April 18, 2013
The New Healthcare Environment…What it Means for MPL Carriers, Thee Mutual Risk Retention Group, San Diego, CA, March 26, 2013
Resources to Help Your Insureds Succeed In 2013 and Beyond!, NJ Pure, February 28, 2013
Part II – The Supreme Court’s Ruling on ACA: impact on MPL Carriers, PIAA Webcast, February 6, 2013
Neurological Imparied Baby – Science v. Sympathy…Who Wins?, 29th Annual Conf – Obstetrics, Gynecology, Perinatal Medicine, Neonatology, and the Law, Kauai, HI, January 2-6, 2013
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
Has overseen and supervised thousands of medical professional liability claims
Successfully tried over 80 trials to verdict
Helped to create captive insurance companies, many national in scope
Developed risk quality and assurance programs, many national in scope
Aided in reorganizing entire risk and claim systems
Helped to develop medical professional liability claims “best practices” for health systems and medical professional liability insurers
Lead investigations in multiple, significant risk quality assurance issues
Worked with medical staffs on programming and education initiatives
Authored hundreds of articles and several handbooks and textbooks
Participates in national panels, webinars, and educational programs
Held multiple, professional leadership positions in law firms and professional and civic organizations
Has taken part in founding multiple organizations and continues to hold leadership positions including his position on the Board of Directors for SE Healthcare
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