JACKSON - The Mississippi Board of Medical Licensure has adopted new regulations on doctors testifying as experts, a move some attorneys say could deter physicians from testifying in malpractice cases.

The regulation that has some attorneys the most upset is one that prohibits a physician expert witness from accepting payment contingent on a diagnosis, or an opinion or on the outcome of a legal case.

Board vice president, Dr. Philip T. Merideth, who drafted the regulations, said the aim is to protect the public. The board has studied this for 15 months, Merideth said.

"It just requires they (physicians) follow the law," he said.

Merideth's brother, Dr. David L. Merideth of Ridgeland, who also has a law degree, has said the regulations are cloaked under the guise of protecting the public but are rooted in muzzling physicians, whether in-state or out of state, from testifying in medical malpractice trials.

"Any such regulations, no matter how drafted, will be perceived fearfully by those physicians who testify on behalf of injured patients and Mississippi physicians," David Merideth said.

The board gave no indication of what specifically prompted its decision.