|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
Archives
03/01/2003 - 04/01/2003 04/01/2003 - 05/01/2003 05/01/2003 - 06/01/2003 06/01/2003 - 07/01/2003 07/01/2003 - 08/01/2003 08/01/2003 - 09/01/2003 09/01/2003 - 10/01/2003 10/01/2003 - 11/01/2003 11/01/2003 - 12/01/2003 12/01/2003 - 01/01/2004 05/01/2004 - 06/01/2004 06/01/2004 - 07/01/2004 07/01/2004 - 08/01/2004 08/01/2004 - 09/01/2004 10/01/2004 - 11/01/2004 11/01/2004 - 12/01/2004 12/01/2004 - 01/01/2005 01/01/2005 - 02/01/2005 02/01/2005 - 03/01/2005 03/01/2005 - 04/01/2005 04/01/2005 - 05/01/2005 05/01/2005 - 06/01/2005 06/01/2005 - 07/01/2005 07/01/2005 - 08/01/2005 08/01/2005 - 09/01/2005 09/01/2005 - 10/01/2005 10/01/2005 - 11/01/2005 11/01/2005 - 12/01/2005 12/01/2005 - 01/01/2006 01/01/2006 - 02/01/2006 02/01/2006 - 03/01/2006 03/01/2006 - 04/01/2006 04/01/2006 - 05/01/2006 05/01/2006 - 06/01/2006 06/01/2006 - 07/01/2006 07/01/2006 - 08/01/2006 08/01/2006 - 09/01/2006 09/01/2006 - 10/01/2006 10/01/2006 - 11/01/2006 11/01/2006 - 12/01/2006 12/01/2006 - 01/01/2007 01/01/2007 - 02/01/2007 02/01/2007 - 03/01/2007 03/01/2007 - 04/01/2007 04/01/2007 - 05/01/2007 05/01/2007 - 06/01/2007 06/01/2007 - 07/01/2007 07/01/2007 - 08/01/2007 08/01/2007 - 09/01/2007 09/01/2007 - 10/01/2007 10/01/2007 - 11/01/2007 11/01/2007 - 12/01/2007 12/01/2007 - 01/01/2008 01/01/2008 - 02/01/2008 02/01/2008 - 03/01/2008 03/01/2008 - 04/01/2008 04/01/2008 - 05/01/2008 05/01/2008 - 06/01/2008 06/01/2008 - 07/01/2008 07/01/2008 - 08/01/2008 08/01/2008 - 09/01/2008 09/01/2008 - 10/01/2008 10/01/2008 - 11/01/2008 11/01/2008 - 12/01/2008 12/01/2008 - 01/01/2009 01/01/2009 - 02/01/2009 02/01/2009 - 03/01/2009 03/01/2009 - 04/01/2009 04/01/2009 - 05/01/2009 05/01/2009 - 06/01/2009 06/01/2009 - 07/01/2009 07/01/2009 - 08/01/2009 08/01/2009 - 09/01/2009 09/01/2009 - 10/01/2009 10/01/2009 - 11/01/2009 11/01/2009 - 12/01/2009 12/01/2009 - 01/01/2010 01/01/2010 - 02/01/2010 02/01/2010 - 03/01/2010 03/01/2010 - 04/01/2010  |
About these news links: Some on-line newspapers may require you to register by providing
Your courts, their secrets: UW finally tells what it paid to settle suit The Seattle Times, WA - Dec. 31, 2006 When the public's money is spent, the public has a right to know how much and what for. But when the University of Washington settled a medical-malpractice lawsuit three years ago, a confidentiality clause barred the injured patient and her lawyers from disclosing "to anyone, including the media," the lawsuit's allegations and the amount paid... "It's a new day" as secrecy fades The Seattle Times, WA - Dec. 31, 2006 ...At least 420 civil suits were sealed in their entirety since 1990, a Seattle Times investigation found. Those sealing orders kept the public from knowing about wrongdoing or alleged negligence by local schools, hospitals, lawyers, churches, state agencies, manufacturers and others... Courts rake in fees for Web access Los Angeles Times, CA - Dec. 31, 2006 ...No other major urban county in California charges for online access to court records that can help someone learn whether a doctor was sued for malpractice, a contractor was accused of shoddy work, or a prospective tenant had a habit of skipping out on the rent... Can malpractice suit continue after a death? Austin American-Stateman, TX - Dec. 31, 2006 ...the Arlington doctors added a new legal strategy: arguing that Boyd's constitutional argument is not available to a dead woman. Boyd's survivors note the irony of doctors, accused of contributing to Boyd's death, using the occasion to press for victory... Legislative session just around the corner The Independent, Marshall, MN - Dec. 31, 2006 ...Tort reform on medical malpractice is needed but unlikely to pass because of the trial lawyer influence on the Democratic legislators, Seifert said... Veteran lawyers flee malpractice as jury verdicts vanish Las Vegas Business Press, NV - Dec. 29, 2006 ...That limit was part of the tort reform package passed by a special session of the Legislature in 2002. Silver State voters added further restrictions, including caps on attorney's fees, with the $10 million "Keep Our Doctors in Nevada" initiative at the 2004 election... 2006 The year in from from A to Z Arizona Capitol Times, Phoenix, AZ - Dec. 29, 2006 ...Governor Napolitano vetoed a tort reform bill in May, a measure that would have changed current law from a requirement that it takes a "preponderance of evidence" to prove malpractice in emergency cases to the more stringent "clear and convincing" evidence. Sen. Carolyn Allen has filed a similar bill for the 2007 session... Miss. doctors to receive 20% premium refunds Insurance Journal, CA - Dec. 29, 2006 ...According to Michael D. Houpt, MACM president and CEO, the malpractice insurance refund has been made possible almost entirely as a result of the significant reduction in incurred losses... Medical malpractice news
How business trounced the trial lawyers Business Week - Dec. 29, 2006 ...What has happened in Texas is not unique. In state after state, the tide has turned in one of the most protracted, hard-fought political struggles of the past two decades—the battle over so-called tort reform... Opinion - Dr. Ronald Uva: "Who will deliver your baby?" Oswego County Business Magazine, NY - Dec. 29, 2006 ...We are told that justice is supposed to be sure and even. This is not the case when it comes to malpractice cases... Editorial: John Edwards' two Americas Investor's Business Daily - Dec. 28, 2006 ...Trial lawyers have created a health care crisis through malpractice suits that raise costs while driving doctors from their practices... Report: Connecticut hospitals face worsening financial picture The Advocate, Stamford, CT (Associated Press) - Dec. 28, 2006 ...Besides the low Medicaid reimbursement rate, Connecticut hospitals face high energy costs and medical malpractice insurance rates... Medical Protective decreasing medical malpractice rates in Nevada Insurance Journal, CA - Dec. 28, 2006 ...The revised factors contemplate an average 5.4 percent rate decrease and are a reflection of the improving experience in Nevada... Medical malpractice news
Indiana fares well in 'liability crisis' survey South Bend Tribune, IN - Dec. 28, 2006 The American Medical Association says Indiana is relatively doctor-friendly when it comes to state laws governing medical liability and malpractice suits... The Ob-Gyn shortage Parents.com - Dec. 28, 2006 ...A survey by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) found that one in seven ob-gyns has stopped delivering babies, and more than 20 percent have cut back on high-risk obstetrics. Physicians say that outrageous liability-insurance premiums are the result of exorbitant medical-malpractice lawsuits and jury awards... Database to detail doctors' records Washington Post, D.C. - Dec. 28, 2006 ...Doctors also will have 60 days to report judgments and settlements arising from malpractice allegations, as well as disciplinary actions imposed in another state... Medical malpractice news
Editorial: The check's not in the mail Chicago Tribune, IL - Dec. 27, 2006 ...many of those monumental mistakes are fodder for malpractice suits and settlements worth more than the original bills for the botched procedures... Ill. doctors' malpractice insurance rates drop The Courier News, Elgin, IL - Dec. 27, 2006 ...Premiums also are leveling off in most other parts of the country, according to Medical Liability Monitor, a newsletter that covers malpractice issues... Editorial: Eye of the beholder Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, TX - Dec. 27, 2006 ...The tort system, which covers lawsuits over personal injuries, medical malpractice, asbestos disease, faulty products and other types of harmful behavior, is designed to compensate those who are hurt and deter future damaging conduct. There is room for abuse by those with bad motives -- on both the plaintiffs' and defendants' sides... Cosmetic procedures are now being added to regular medical practices SaukValley.com (Las Vegas Sun) - Dec. 26, 2006 ...But this new breed of aesthetic doctors is unapologetic about shifting the focus of their medical careers. Reimbursement rates from insurance companies are dropping, malpractice insurance and administrative costs are rising, and physicians say practices must evolve to stay in business... Medical malpractice news
Less-critical condition? Chicago Sun-Times, IL - Dec. 26, 2006 ...ISMIE Mutual, the state's largest malpractice insurer, says premiums dropped an average of 5.2 percent this year and likely will hold steady or drop again next year... Editorial: Good riddance, 2003 law Muskogee Phoenix, OK - Dec. 26, 2006 ...The high court struck down as unconstitutional a 2003 provision that requires patients to get a medical expert to sign an affidavit that their lawsuit has merit before they can proceed with a medical malpractice lawsuit... Medical malpractice news
Smoking ban, tort reform among bills proposed for lawmakers WTVF-TV, Nashville, TN (Associated Press) - Dec. 25, 2006 Bills that would ban smoking in Tennessee's public buildings and address tort reform are among those health care groups plan to put before lawmakers when they reconvene next month... Closed malpractice claims paid $119M The Jackson Sun, Jackson, TN - Dec. 25, 2006 Most medical malpractice claims closed in Tennessee last year resulted in no payment of damages to patients and their families, according to a recent report... Will donors sway health overhaul Oroville Mercury Register, CA - Dec. 25, 2006 ...Among those that have given at least $15,000 each are the Association of California Life and Health Insurance Companies, the California Hospital Association and Norcal Mutual Insurance, a medical liability insurance company... Medical malpractice news
Editorial: Malpractice muddle Baltimore Sun, MD - Dec. 22, 2006 ...What the downturn in rates truly demonstrates - to put it bluntly - is that nobody seems to know precisely what's going on in the malpractice field. Experts point to more aggressive legal defenses, various tort reforms and perhaps even better medical outcomes as possible factors. What's needed is more concrete information and less spin... Opinion - M. Rony Francois, secretary Fla. DOH: Doctors' profiles Miami Herald, FL - Dec. 22, 2006 ...The department is working diligently to inform and encourage physicians around the state to update their profiles accurately and in a timely manner, whether they hold medical-malpractice insurance or not... Opinion - Linda Napier: Free clinics may help cure the health-care crisis News Times, Danbury, CT - Dec. 22, 2006 ...Some states even penalize the doctors for volunteering: If you have retired physicians who are willing to volunteer, the state requires that they pay $15,000 to $20,000 a year for malpractice insurance -- just to volunteer!"... Vioxx award cut from $32 million to $7.75 million Houston Chronicle, TX (Associated Press) - Dec. 22, 2006 ...Judge Alex Gabert, in a Rio Grande City courtroom, ordered the punitive damage reduced according to state law. The law caps punitive damages at twice the amount of economic damages -- lost pay -- and up to $750,000 on top of noneconomic damages... Medical malpractice news
Malpractice reform seen as a necessity Baltimore Examiner, MD - Dec. 21, 2006 Doctors are leaving Maryland because of skyrocketing medical malpractice insurance costs, but the General Assembly might not tackle reform until 2008... Alan Rabinowitz said he's proud that the Patient Safety Authority has achieved cooperation from providers... The Patriot-News, Harrisburg, PA - Dec. 21, 2006 ...the only administrator in the history of the organization, which was created as part of a 2002 law aimed at improving patient safety and reducing medical malpractice lawsuits and the cost of malpractice insurance in Pennsylvania... Medical malpractice news
Okla. expert opinion law ruled unconstitutional Business Insurance, IL - Dec. 20, 2006 ...The Oklahoma Supreme Court has overturned a 2003 medical malpractice liability reform law that required plaintiffs to present expert opinion supporting their claims at the time they file a lawsuit... Court overturns law aimed at tort reform Tulsa World, OK - Dec. 20, 2006 ... Besides invalidating the 2003 law, the decision calls into question the ability of the Legislature to cap non-economic damages. Plaintiff attorneys argue the caps make pursuing expensive liability cases difficult to justify and thus limit access to the court system... COPIC to return $10M to physicians Denver Business Journal, CO - Dec. 20, 2006 ...Clarke said COPIC is able to return the money partly because of medical malpractice reform passed by the Colorado Legislature... Insurers' surcharge approved Palm Beach Post, FL - Dec. 20, 2006 ...All property policies, except those covered by state-sponsored Citizens Property Insurance Corp., will be subject to the surcharge. It also applies to medical malpractice, marine, aircraft and other liabilities policies... Medical malpractice news
Now you see it, now you don't Greater Baton Rouge Business Report, LA - Dec. 19, 2006 ...High premiums for malpractice insurance--already the bane of the medical profession--will only go higher since the state's $500,000 cap on non-economic damages in malpractice cases has been declared unconstitutional by the Third Circuit, warn doctors, hospitals and other health care providers... A creative flair rising in lawsuit settlements Law.com, CA - Dec. 19, 2006 ...pledged all of a medical malpractice jury's $100.1 million punitive damages award -- part of the largest med-mal verdict in state history -- to the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine... Medical malpractice news
Health-care costs in Va. Richmond Times Dispatch, VA - Dec. 18, 2006 ...According to one study, medical-malpractice cases in Virginia generate about $70 million in payments a year to injured patients and some $88 million a year in defense costs... Maryland's biggest malpractice insurer to cut premiums 8% Insurance Journal, CA (Associated Press) - Dec. 18, 2006 ...A drop in claims is the reason Med Mutual is seeking the premium cuts, The (Baltimore) Sun reported... Cutler In The Hot Seat at Chamber Event Solanco News, Quarryville, PA - Dec. 18, 2006 ...He also pointed out that malpractice insurance is the biggest single cost of health care. "Sixty-six cents of every dollar on liability goes to malpractice defense," said Cutler... Officials seek answers to long ER delays East Valley Tribune, Mesa, AZ - Dec. 18, 2006 ... The veto was a stinging defeat for doctors, who argue medical malpractice claims are a key reason ERs have trouble finding specialists like plastic surgeons and neurologists... Opinion - David C. Kolbe: Make new laws to help workers injured on job The Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, IN - Dec. 18, 2006 ...The legislature should provide that the few physicians who mistreat or maltreat injured workers be subject to penalties apart from the Indiana Malpractice Act... Report: Many docs plan to move Casper Star Tribune, WY (Associated Press) - Dec. 18, 2006 Nearly one-third of Wyoming doctors are planning to leave the state eventually, and many of those say the cost of malpractice insurance is a factor, a new state report shows... Rulings cloud lawsuits issue Richmond Times Dispatch, VA - Dec. 18, 2006 ...Divergent court opinions in high-stakes medical-malpractice cases are pitting the rights of injured patients against the increasing costs of medical care... High costs a major barrier to physicians' practices in Hawaii The Maui News, HI - Dec. 18, 2006 ...Rich Meiers, chief executive of Healthcare Association of Hawaii, says cost of malpractice insurance is one, with some Hawaii physicians paying $200,000 a year for insurance... Experts: Results gauged by output Times-Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA - Dec. 17, 2006 ...Reinhardt suggests that Blue Cross also could subsidize doctors, perhaps by paying a portion of their malpractice premium and office rent, particular as they first try to get practices established... What do you do when your health care system is sick? Ocala Star-Banner, FL - Dec. 16, 2006 ...His malpractice insurance has jumped from $1,600 in his first year, to $24,000 last year. And he has to pay for his employees' health insurance, for the building and other costs that come with running a business... Medical malpractice news
Medical group hires firm to review rates Florida Today, Melbourne, FL - Dec. 15, 2006 ...The Florida Medical Association has hired a firm to review medical malpractice insurance rates that a state consumer advocate has criticized as being too high... Editorial: Health district on call for county's ER crisis Palm Beach Post, FL - Dec. 15, 2006 ...With high malpractice insurance costs, a large number of uninsured patients, no major public hospital, no major medical university, few young physicians and an aging population, the county can't expect to solve the shortage easily, quickly or cheaply... Opinion - Tom Miller: Health policy 2007 Washington Post, DC - Dec. 15, 2006 ...Meanwhile, the recent Republican game plan for Medicare modernization, consumer-driven health plans, less-fettered private health care markets, and medical liability reform appeared to be sputtering, if not stalled... Property plan shows new office buildings Patriot-News, Harrisburg, PA - Dec. 15, 2006 ...Hoffer purchased the property from the state Insurance Department, which acquired it after the 2002 liquidation of the former medical malpractice insurer... Insurance chief elected to national post Charleston Daily Mail, WV - Dec. 15, 2006 ..."We had doctors closing practices and leaving the state because of the lack of available and affordable medical malpractice insurance... Physicians' insurer to lower premiums Baltimore Sun, MD - Dec. 15, 2006 ...Maryland's largest malpractice insurer is seeking to cut its premiums by 8 percent for 2007 - a sharp contrast to 2004 and 2005, when hefty premium increases provoked waves of physician protests and pushed the state legislature into special session to enact premium subsidies... Is there a doctor in the house?(Probably not) Cecil Whig, Elkton, MD - Dec. 15, 2006 ...Adoctor shortage continues to hamper Cecil County, two years after the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation to reduce the soaring cost of medical malpractice insurance... Hellhole report draws split reaction The West Virginia Record, Charleston, WV - Dec. 14, 2006 ...West Virginia's ranking at the top of this year's Judicial Hellholes list drew spirited reaction from both sides of the tort reform issue... Healthcare IT legislation possible in 2007, lawmakers say Healthcare IT News, ME - Dec. 14, 2006 ...“Sticker shock is a big problem” for physicians, he noted, even after they are persuaded that healthcare IT can help their practice, prevent errors in treating their patients, and minimize medical malpractice claims... Medical malpractice news
Blue Cross gives $30 million to Susquehanna Health Williamsport Sun-Gazette, PA - Dec. 14, 2006 ...Many hospitals, Blue Cross officials contended, are struggling as a result of several factors:...• Aging of doctors in the area as well as a low retention rate of physicians due to the state’s high malpractice costs... Wyoming doctors eye other locales Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, Cheyenne, WY - Dec. 14, 2006 ...according to newly released data collected by the Wyoming Healthcare Commission. Of those, more than half cited high malpractice insurance premiums as a factor... Jury awards triple damages in death from surgery injuries The Wichita Eagle, KS - Dec. 14, 2006 ...The average damage payment for medical malpractice in Kansas is $250,000, according to the National Practitioners Databank, a government reporting system for doctors and hospitals... Yale might open medical facility in county Palm Beach Post, FL - Dec. 14, 2006 ...said Yale could bring a "breath of fresh air" to the medical community. He said it's been difficult to attract new doctors to the community because of the high cost of medical malpractice insurance.... Medical malpractice news
U.S. tort costs total $261 billion in 2005, according to Tillinghast study Insurance Newsnet (Business Wire news release) - Dec. 13, 2006 ...For 2005, medical malpractice tort costs totaled $29.4 billion, up from $28.3 billion in 2004... Editorial: No shortage of lawsuit abuse reform ideas for Congress The Washington DC Examiner, DC - Dec. 13, 2006 ...If the leaders of the new Democratic majority in Congress are really serious about holding down health care costs, they can prove it by enacting meaningful tort reform early next year... Physician groups content, but not ecstatic on payment fix The Hill, DC - Dec. 13, 2006 ...The AMA and other medical groups also bought ad time to promote their other major legislative priority, medical-liability reform; that bill failed to pass the Senate... West Virginia named nation's worst Judicial Hellhole West Virginia Record, WV - Dec. 13, 2006 ...followed on the list by South Florida, the Rio Grande Valley and Gulf Coast in Texas and three Illinois counties: Cook, Madison and St. Clair... Legislators chide state chamber for ads Charleston Daily Mail, WV (Associated Press) - Dec. 13, 2006 ...cited an array of measures that the Legislature has passed at the chamber's urging in recent years targeting medical malpractice, insurance and general civil lawsuits. Despite such efforts, West Virginia continues to suffer attacks from the chambers... Group: Metro East courts less of a 'hellhole' St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO - Dec. 13, 2006 ...On the list of the worst court jurisdictions for defendants in civil lawsuits ranked by the American Tort Reform Foundation, based in Washington, Madison has fallen to No. 5 and St. Clair to No. 6, a notch each... Wrenching details emerge as cases are unsealed The Seattle Times, WA - Dec. 13, 2006 ...Two years ago, a medical-malpractice lawsuit against Group Health resulted in a settlement described as a record high. But not one word about the case appeared in the newspapers... Editorial: State lawmakers need to find out what's behind high insurance costs The Register-Herald, Beckley, WV - Dec. 12, 2006 ...Then, why are the rates still rising? Are doctors still practicing defensive medicine and ordering too many tests and procedures in order to protect them against malpractice lawsuits?... Maddox tosses class action on last day in office St. Clair Record, IL - Dec. 12, 2006 ..."This court notes that many doctors have left, and continue to leave Madison County because of medical malpractice insurance rates. The delivery of quality healthcare at affordable costs is implicated in this lawsuit," Weber wrote... Opinion - Herb Denenberg: Omitted reasons why the health-care system is so expensive The Evening Bulletin, Philadelphia, PA - Dec. 12, 2006 ...The system appears to be in denial when it comes to mistakes. They cry and whine about medical malpractice, but when someone shows them how their very practices are malpractice lawsuits waiting to happen, they show little interest... Medical malpractice news
Health professionals urged to lobby for funding Lebanon Daily News, Lebanon, PA - Dec. 12, 2006 ...Specter called it disgraceful that the American Cancer Institute had to cut $50 million in funding this year. He also discussed his support of embryonic stem-cells funding, medical-malpractice issues and collective bargaining with health-care insurers... More funds for medical work urged by Specter Patriot-News, Harrisburg, PA - Dec. 12, 2006 ...A doctor in training told Specter she would like to stay in Pennsylvania to practice but might not be able to because of medical malpractice issues. Many Pennsylvania doctors, and many Republican legislators, favor a $250,000 cap on pain and suffering damage awards in malpractice lawsuits... Opinion - Morton Kondracke: Partisan fights likely over health care in '07 Whittier Daily News, CA - Dec. 12, 2006 ...The administration will get nowhere - once again - if it proposes medical malpractice award ceilings to a Congress in which the trial lawyer lobby has gained influence... Opinion - Vidya Kora, MD: Medicaid reimbursement hasn't kept pace with costs The Times, Munster, IN - Dec. 12, 2006 ...In addition, one of the largest costs to physician practices is medical liability insurance... Who killed the mass torts bonanza? The American Lawyer, CA - Dec. 12, 2006 ...today, politicians speak of "ending lawsuit abuse" or "eliminating frivolous lawsuits" -- tort reform by more felicitous names... Regulators enjoy cozy relationship with insurance industry Kansas City Star, MO - Dec. 12, 2006 ...During that time, Missouri lawmakers passed industry-friendly bills to put new limits on medical malpractice lawsuits and to restrict public access to insurance complaints. They also proposed to shield insurers from having to disclose illegal behavior to regulators and even the courts... Brain-injury program stalls Times-Dispatch, Richmond, VA - Dec. 12, 2006 ...The program was designed to significantly reduce obstetrical malpractice premiums, but the program has drawn varying levels of participation. Many physician premium costs have doubled and tripled... City pays $155M in hosp suits New York Post, NY - Dec. 12, 2006 ...The city paid $155 million last year to settle 304 medical malpractice cases against public hospitals - an $11 million increase from the previous year... McGraw using lawsuit money to help exhibit Charleston Daily Mail, WV - Dec. 12, 2006 ...Another $24 million of the tobacco settlement went toward creating the Physicians' Mutual Insurance Co., which provides medical malpractice to state doctors, Hughes said... As laser eye surgery matures, pool of candidates for procedure grows Charleston Daily Mail, WV (Washington Post) - Dec. 12, 2006 ...Surgeons have become more cautious, chastened by a spate of multimillion-dollar malpractice verdicts awarded to patients who suffered serious vision loss... Medical malpractice news
Competition gives Illinois doctors malpractice insurance options The Southern Illinoisan, Carbondale, IL (Associated Press) - Dec. 11, 2006 ...A former president of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Presbrey has started an insurance company promising doctors more choice and better deals on expensive malpractice coverage... Medicare to reward physicians for face time The Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, IN - Dec. 10, 2006 ...Physicians are essentially reimbursed for services using a system that takes into consideration three associated components: work done by the doctor, the overhead cost of providing care, and malpractice premiums... Who's watching your doc? Charlotte Observer, NC - Dec. 10, 2006 ...Board Web sites often contain only partial profiles of physicians -- name, graduation or licensing date and whether the board has ever disciplined them. Information that's omitted: malpractice claims, felony convictions, hospital sanctions and discipline by boards in other states... State's files on doctors fall short Miami Herald, FL - Dec. 10, 2006 ...Yet the profiles of hundreds of Florida doctors -- including more than 250 in Miami-Dade and Broward counties alone -- fail to report malpractice payments as required by state law, an analysis by The Miami Herald has found... Georgia: Story: Goal is to cure health care ills The Times-Union, Jacksonville, FL - Dec. 10, 2006 ...Lewis believes the fight could get even nastier than the emotional battle over limits on medical malpractice suits that passed to the cheers of medical groups and the condemnation of consumer advocates in 2005... Health care at a premium; Study: Del. insurance rises 4.5 times faster than earnings Delaware State News, DE - Dec. 9, 2006 ...introduced two bills in the General Assembly last year to try to curb health care costs - one that would create a statewide pool to lower the cost of health insurance for families and small businesses and another that would lower malpractice insurance for some doctors. Both of them passed the state Senate, but did not pass the state House," Mr. Denn said... Walk-in health care The New York Times, NY - Dec. 9, 2006 ...Each QuickHealth clinic has one doctor and one or two assistants. The clinics provide referrals, but they don’t provide specialty care — in part to avoid malpractice insurance beyond what primary care requires... Editorial: Don't reverse progress in W. Va. The Intelligencer, Wheeling, WV - Dec. 9, 2006 ...For many years the state’s malpractice laws were so unrealistic that some doctors actually stopped practicing certain types of medicine... Malpractice costs easing Jacksonville Business Journal, FL - Dec. 8, 2006 ...Though the report ranks Florida high among the larger states, several findings gave hints of an increase in insurance companies offering coverage, a decline in rate increases and a decrease in malpractice premiums... Medical malpractice rates across Florida on the way down Orlando Business Journal, FL - Dec. 8, 2006 ...Businesses have complained that medical malpractice costs are a key factor in driving up health care costs in general... Medical malpractice news
Report recommends phase-out of Pa. med mal abatement program Insurance Journal, CA - Dec. 8, 2006 Pennsylvania should get out of the medical malpractice insurance business and return the medical malpractice market to the private sector as soon as possible, according to a report... Regulators grant hearing on malpractice insurance rates Tallahassee Democrat, FL - Dec. 8, 2006 ...This week, Florida regulators agreed to give the state's insurance consumer advocate a hearing on his contention that premiums ought to be slashed 40 percent to 50 percent... Lawmakers expect health insurance to be top issue Maryland Coast Dispatch, Berlin, MD - Dec. 8, 2006 ...Another stumbling block for effective health care coverage for Maryland citizens is the ongoing issue concerning medical malpractice insurance for health care providers. Malpractice insurance doubled and tripled for some specialized doctors and health care providers in recent years... Opinion - William Murchison: Current Supreme Court improved legal climate East Texas Review, Longview, TX - Dec. 8, 2006 ...“fueled by the growing sentiment that the legal climate in Texas has increasingly attracted meritless and costly litigation that has imposed growing burdens on state businesses and courts and resulted in, among other things, a statewide medical malpractice insurance crisis.”... Opinion - Marion Edwyn Harrison: Medicare, Congress and confusion - physician and patient risks The Conservative Voice, NC - Dec. 8, 2006 ...Medical care costs have risen but the causes are not a rise in physicians’ net income. Rather, they are malpractice insurance costs; and, in no particular order... Medical malpractice news
Trial lawyers seek vindication with Democrats' return to power The New York Sun, NY (Associated Press) - Dec. 7, 2006 ...They say the shift in power also signals an end to the socalled tort reform backed by President Bush, which was aimed at limiting awards in personal-injury lawsuits against doctors and American corporations... Doctors have a wish to provide better health-care to all Pensacola News Journal, FL - Dec. 7, 2006 ...Out-of-state persons providing testimony in medical malpractice lawsuits as expert witnesses should be required to obtain a Florida expert-witness certificate, so the state can hold these (often well-paid) witnesses accountable for their Florida testimony... CRMC marks telemedicine success Moultrie Observer, GA - Dec. 7, 2006 ...Also, he fought to protect physicians from malpractice insurance rates from going up and got the state medical board to change its rule that examination of a patient must be in person... Medical malpractice news
GOP's big plans yield little gain Los Angeles Times, CA - Dec. 6, 2006 ...they will join other mainstays of the Republican agenda - such as abolishing the estate tax, limiting medical malpractice lawsuits and banning gay marriages - on the legislative sidelines... Inmate health-care overseer touts his plan The Daily Breeze, Torrance, CA (Associated Press) - Dec. 6, 2006 ...Henderson, of San Francisco, appointed Sillen after finding that an average of an inmate a week dies of neglect or malpractice in California prisons... Editorial: We need clinic here The Muskogee Phoenix, OK - Dec. 6, 2006 ...The doctors also qualify for a medical malpractice program, something doctors in private practice must pay for, so many doctors resent the favoritism shown the centers... Panel stresses need to increase Medicaid reimbursements Daily Press, Hampton Roads, VA (Associated Press) - Dec. 5, 2006 ...Reimbursements for OB/GYNs increased 34 percent in 2004 and another 2.5 percent earlier this year after spiraling medical malpractice insurance threatened to force many out of practice... Medical malpractice news
N. Ky. chamber outlines 2007 legislative priorities Cincinnati Business Courier, OH - Dec. 5, 2006 ...The priorities include advocating medical malpractice reform, more early health screenings for young schoolchildren... Opinion - Erik Steele, D.O.: Steps toward resolving the overscanning of America Bangor Daily News, ME - Dec. 5, 2006 ...State law should be developed to provide protection against malpractice lawsuits for physicians who do not order a CAT scan when the guideline suggests the patient does not need a scan... Eliminate medical fund, panel proposes Patriot-News, Harrisburg, PA - Dec. 5, 2006 ...But the panel also recommends continued use of state funds to help pay medical malpractice insurance awards and costs. Since 2003, the state has spent $830 million toward those costs, using money from a cigarette tax... Florida medical malpractice market competitive, report finds Insurance Journal, CA - Dec. 4, 2006 ...Compared to five states with the largest medical malpractice markets, Florida ranks highest – at 29 percent – when measuring the combined non-loss costs to earned premium ratio, according to a new state report... Public access to medical error data in spotlight The Capital Times, Madison, WI - Dec. 4, 2006 ...The Wisconsin Hospital Association also has looked at the error reporting issue, but fears that hospitals would be sued for malpractice if they provided more information... Medical malpractice news
Diagnosing the health care problem South Bend Tribune, IN - Dec. 4, 2006 ...Expensive malpractice insurance policies are another concern for U.S. doctors. A neurosurgeon will pay between $100,000 and $150,000 each year... Liability insurance rates mostly hold steady or drop this year American Medical News, IL - Dec. 4, 2006 ...But the improvement offers no high ground for doctors who, after a flood of rising premiums over the last five years, are seeing rates anchor at or near record-high levels... An ounce of prevention makes a healthier community Naples Daily News, FL - Dec. 4, 2006 ...The genesis, as Nancy Lascheid calls it, that made the clinic a reality was a law passed in 1992 that protects healthcare providers from malpractice liability when providing volunteer medical service through a not-for-profit entity... Business groups to take aim at Senate Seattle Post-Intelligencer, WA (Bloomberg News) - Dec. 4, 2006 ...the Republican-controlled Senate, with a bigger majority than the Democrats will have, failed to enact many of its pro-business priorities, including complete abolition of the estate tax, opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling and limiting damages in medical-malpractice cases... Opinion - John O'Shea: Fix, don't tweak, way Medicare pays physicians Billings Gazette, MT - Dec. 4, 2006 ...the "Resource-Based Relative Value Scale," a mind-numbingly complex payment formula developed by a Harvard economist, based on the "relative value" of the work done by the physician and the associated practice and malpractice costs... Health care at the crossroads Staten Island Advance, NY - Dec. 3, 2006 ...Additionally, malpractice premiums are at record levels and some physician specialties are minimizing their exposure by reducing their services to patients... Opinion - WV House Speaker Bob Kiss: Medical malpractice at end, commission reports The Register-Herald, Beckley, WV - Dec. 2, 2006 ...The commission declared the end to our state’s medical malpractice crisis. Thanks to civil justice reform first initiated by the Legislature in 2002 ... Editorial: Supreme silence Chicago Tribune, IL - Dec. 2, 2006 ...Gov. Rod Blagojevich last year signed legislation capping medical malpractice awards in Illinois, and Madison County courts have set a higher bar for plaintiffs, particularly from out of state, who seek to file class actions... Mcare commission recommends phase-out soon Public Radio Capital News, PA - Dec. 1, 2006 ...A bipartisan commission’s report suggests it should be feasible for the state to end a publicly funded medical malpractice insurance program between 2008 and 2011... Medical malpractice news
Medical malpractice reforms working West Virginia Record, Charleston, WV - Dec. 1, 2006 Reforms that West Virginia legislators enacted in a medical malpractice crisis have worked like a charm... State medical board says lawsuits continue Pike County Courier, Milford, PA - Dec. 1, 2006 A late October update from the Pennsylvania Medical Board shows that doctors are still practicing in the country’s most volatile medical malpractice environment... |
 |
||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
