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Archives
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Editorial: True costs of Jackpot Justice The San Francisco Examiner, CA - Mar. 30. 2007 ...Next time your doctor orders lots of blood tests and MRIs, you will be experiencing a slice of the estimated $124 billion annually in unnecessary costs imposed on American health care providers through malpractice and other liability lawsuits... Briley says medical malpractice bill not dead yet WMC-TV, Memphis, TN (Associated Press) - Mar. 29, 2007 ...The Senate Judiciary Committee this week advanced the medical malpractice bill to a full Senate vote. The proposal seeks to cut down on frivolous lawsuits against doctors by requiring attorneys to pre-certify the merits of their cases with independent medical experts... Consumer groups say market forces, not claims, caused med mal crisis Insurance Journal, CA - Mar. 29, 2007 ...A consumer coalition has released a new study that disputes insurers' contention that the most recent medical malpractice insurance crisis for doctors was caused by rising costs... Supreme Court to look at med mal cap The State Journal, Charleton, WV - Mar. 29, 2007 ...The appeal, however, does not concern itself with the new $250,000 limit on non-economic damages that was passed in 2003. The appeal at hand involves the former $1 million cap that was in place before sweeping medical liability reforms in 2003... Downstate county might be becoming more judicious Chicago Sun-Times, IL (Associated Press) - Mar. 29, 2007 ...Judicial watchdog Ed Murnane long has been critical of Madison County's reputation as a plaintiff's paradise in big-money lawsuits, and he knew changing that would take baby steps... Medical malpractice news
Opinion - Rivlin and Antos: Health system can't be fixed without teamwork Post-Bulletin, Rochester, MN - Mar. 28, 2007 ...There is no single silver bullet that will do the trick -- tort reform to reduce malpractice claims, exercise and diet to prevent illness, electronic medical records to reduce errors... Doctor check-ups go online, with malpractice data WBEN Radio, Buffalo, NY - Mar. 28, 2007 ...A medical watchdog group yesterday announced the first national public database of malpractice suits against doctors, joining a national trend toward online doctor ratings, with deep roots in Western New York... Verdicts may change county's reputation The Telegraph, Alton, IL - Mar. 28, 2007 ...The implications of jury verdicts so far this year have not been lost on the lawyers who practice their profession in Madison County, traditionally labeled as a "legal hellhole" by tort reform organizations and the businesses that back them... 10th win for Merck on Vioxx Chicago Tribune, IL - Mar. 28, 2007 ...Madison County, in southern Illinois, ranks among the country's top "judicial hellholes" because of the millions of dollars won by plaintiffs over the years through class-action lawsuits ranging from asbestos litigation to medical malpractice, according to the American Tort Reform Association, a Washington-based group that advocates for tort reform laws... Mother campaigns for malpractice disclosure Rocky Mountain News, CO - Mar. 28, 2007 ...The Colorado legislature is working on the Michael Skolnik Medical Transparency Act, which would require all doctors to report final malpractice judgments, settlements or arbitrations against them... Opinion - Ronald David Weiss: Health care for all: one physician's Rx Baltimore Sun, MD - Mar. 28, 2007 ...Rx: Malpractice cases should be removed from the civil court system and be tried in a malpractice court where a panel of specially trained judges and medical experts would decide whether malpractice was committed... Official cites doctor 'crisis' in death Palm Beach Post, FL - Mar. 28, 2007 ...The two main reasons for that are the cost of medical malpractice insurance, which is higher than average here, and the lack of a major public hospital that provides doctors immunity from lawsuits... Lawmaker wants nothing but the truth Miami Herald, FL - Mar. 28, 2007 ...Villalobos used sworn testimony during 2003's special legislative sessions concerning medical malpractice. Doctor groups and insurers changed their stories when they were put under oath... Medical malpractice news
The Tort Tax NCPA Daily Policy Digest, Dallas, TX (Wall Street Journal) - Mar. 27, 2007 ...The good news: We now have some reliable figures. The bad news: The costs are far higher than anyone imagined... Report sounds code blue on lack of some doctors Palm Beach Post, FL - Mar. 27, 2007 ...The report's findings reflect the belief of many in the medical community that Palm Beach County is a hostile environment because of high malpractice costs and low insurance reimbursements, Collins said... Aging doctors cited in Palm Beach County physician shortage South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, FL - Mar. 27, 2007 ...High malpractice premiums, low reimbursement rates and little protection from lawsuits have made the county an inhospitable place to practice, officials said... Midwife centers in Montgomery prepare to close Washington Post, DC - Mar. 27, 2007 ...Apparently for similar financial reasons, stemming from the rising cost of malpractice insurance or lower reimbursement rates, the Takoma Women's Health Center in Takoma Park and the birthing program at the Maternity Center in Bethesda will be closing within the next two months... Verdict reached in Medwest's first Vioxx trial Belleville News-Democrat, IL - Mar. 27, 2007 ...The trial has been closely watched in Madison County, which has gained national notoriety as a place where lawyers from across the country file cases involving everything from asbestos exposure to medical malpractice, hoping for big payouts... Medical malpractice news
Baby boom for Bucks hospitals phillyburbs.com, PA - Mar. 26, 2007 ...But all those factors revolve around what is considered the main issue -- medical liability, Koutsouradis and others said. Frankford Torresdale was delivering 3,000 babies a year before it closed its maternity unit, a decision that involved, in part, concerns over medical-liability issues... Doyle raid on state's malpractice fund would bankrupt it says LAB Pierce County Herald, WI (Wisconsin Public Radio) - Mar. 26, 2007 ...A fund which pays injured patients has more money than ever but uncertainty about future malpractice claims could run it into the red... U.S. study finds majority of medical malpractice claims close without payment Insurance Journal, CA - Mar. 26, 2007 ...BJS conducted a study of medical malpractice insurance claims that were closed from 2000 through 2004 in Florida, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada and Texas... Most in Illinois settle medical malpractice cases The Courier News, Elgin, IL - Mar. 26, 2007 ...From 2000 to 2004, few medical malpractice insurance claims in Illinois and six other states closed with a payout to the person seeking compensation, with most settling before a trial, according to a Justice Department report released Sunday... Tenn. compromise medical malpractice measure stalls Insurance Journal, CA - Mar. 26, 2007 ...It's been more than two weeks since Tennessee lawmakers vowed to press ahead with a compromise over medical malpractice lawsuits without support from health care lobbyists. The measure hasn't advanced much since then... Doctors, hospitals in Wester Pa. get out of baby business Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA - Mar. 25, 2007 ...If medical liability insurance weren't so expensive, if costs didn't continue to rise as insurance reimbursements declined, if so many of their patients weren't receiving medical assistance, then Cervone and his colleagues at Cornerstone Care Valley Women's Health would continue to deliver babies ... Opinion - Randy Scholfield: Doctor exemption unhealthy for consumers? The Wichita Eagle, KS (We Blog) - Mar. 25, 2007 ...The Kansas Legislature needs to put the brakes on a bill that exempts health care professionals from the Kansas Consumer Protection Act... Doctors ask Nevada lawmakers to pass 'I'm sorry' law Napa Valley Register, CA (Associated Press) - Mar. 24, 2007 ..."What we really need this for isn't so much the malpractice," said Fiore. "We need it for the healing."... Editorial: Real world evidence that tort reform works San Antonio Express-News, TX - Mar. 23, 2007 ...The medical malpractice debate is normally an economic and legal abstraction. But the experience in Texas provides hard evidence that reasonable reforms can have real world consequences that improve access to health care... Malpractice insurer paying doctors dividends East Bay Business Times, CA - Mar. 23, 2007 ...The average 7.5 percent premium reduction credit will be awarded to renewing members in certain states, including California, starting July 1... Medical malpractice news
Report finds medical insurance coverage inadequate Kasas City Star, MO - Mar. 23, 2007 ...Some of the biggest cost factors include an aging population, state and federal health coverage mandates, shortfalls in health-care quality, the rising cost of medical technology and the medical liability system, Ghose said... Med fund transfer illegal? The Capital Times, Madison, WI (Associated Press) - Mar. 23, 2007 ...Auditors said the transfer could violate a law that says the fund can be used only to help participating health care providers and malpractice victims... New medical malpractice market opens for Florida nurses Insurance Journal, CA - Mar. 23, 2007 Sophia Palmer Nurses Risk Retention Group, Inc. will offer malpractice insurance to Florida nurses in partnership with the Florida Nurses Association... Medical Practice Bill not voted on Topeka Capital Journal, Mar. 23, 2007 ...Jerry Slaughter, executive director of the Kansas Medical Society, said legislators need to declare the exemption clearly in state law. Otherwise, he said, plaintiffs will file consumer protection claims in addition to medical malpractice lawsuits... Health costs fret area residents The Express-Times, Easton, PA - Mar. 23, 2007 ...Frey, who is St. Luke's associate vice president of finance, said those factors include the explosion of medical-malpractice claims and a continued shortage of nurses... Nevada government entities oppose bill raising cap on damages Las Vegas Sun, NV (Associated Press) - Mar. 22, 2007 ...Tim Crowley, with the NSHE, said the malpractice insurance premiums for the university would rise $1 million per year... Medical malpractice news
Business groups oppose Rendell healthcare plan phillyBurbs.com, PA - Mar. 22, 2007 ...they'd prefer a different approach to providing affordable health care in the form of tax incentives, curbing medical malpractice lawsuits... Malpractice limit overturned The Enquirer, Cincinnati, OH - Mar. 22, 2007 A decision Wednesday by the Ohio Supreme Court gives parents more time to file lawsuits against doctors for anguish they suffer when their children are victims of medical malpractice. The ruling extends the window in which parents can file lawsuits from one year up to the child's 19th birthday... Medical malpractice news
Illinois News: State proposal could revive medical malpractice debate St. Louis Post Dispatch, MO - Mar. 21, 2007 ...Though the bill -- numbered HB1896 -- would apply to all civil litigation, the debate is likely to cast a spotlight on medical malpractice trials, which routinely involve the use of outside expert witnesses such as doctors evaluating the case of a plaintiff... No time for malpractice bill Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN - Mar. 21, 2007 A Tennessee legislative committee ran out of time Tuesday to consider a bill to tighten the state's medical malpractice laws... Med-malpractice tort reform on life support Nashville Post, TN - Mar. 21, 2007 Medical malpractice tort reform in Tennessee is in danger of euthanization... Money woes may close a dozen more N.J. hospitals The Record, Hackensack, NJ (Associated Press) - Mar. 21, 2007 ...Among the problems that have hit them in the last several years are reduced Medicare payments for treating the sickest, most expensive patients; competition with big teaching hospitals in New York and Philadelphia; increased malpractice insurance rates, which have driven some doctors out of the state and forced some hospitals to self-insure... Denn pushes insurance reform The News Journal, Wilmington, DE, Mar. 21, 2007 ...Denn also hopes a bill to help OB/GYNs with their malpractice premiums will have better success this year than last, when it, too, passed the Senate but never made it out of the House Economic Development, Banking and Insurance committee... Change in rules for PAs could affect rural health care Bolivar Herald-Free Press, AR - Mar. 21, 2007 ...According to MAPA, PAs are providing quality health care, as they represent less than 1 percent of all malpractice payments in the state... Bill makes hospitals reveal infections The Dallas Morning News, TX - Mar. 21, 2007 ...Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, questioned whether the hospital industry was trying to use the bill to shield information from victims of medical malpractice and their lawyers... Doctors Co. to cut state physician premiums by $7.3M San Francisco Business Journal, CA - Mar. 20, 2007 ...a physician-owned medical malpractice insurance provider, said its board has approved a premium dividend to physician members expected to provide nearly $7.3 million in premium relief to Golden State physicians... Opinion - David Hendricks: Thanks to new legal protections, doctor applications in Texas are spiking San Antonio Free Press, TX - Mar. 20, 2007 ...Physicians are flocking to Texas, thanks to limits on malpractice lawsuit awards... Veterans home not like to close, deputy director says The Morning News, Springdale, AR - Mar. 20, 2007 The Fayetteville Veterans Home is not likely to close, despite proposed legislation to forbid the state from paying for medical malpractice insurance, said a spokesman for the state Department of Veterans Affairs... Medical malpractice news
Judges seek to bring sides closer The Telegraph, Alton, IL - Mar. 20, 2007 The judges of Madison County are looking to build a bridge between the two sides on the still-heated medical malpractice issue in Illinois... Justices not convinced in pharmacy argument West Virginia Record, Charleston, WV - Mar. 20, 2007 ...Affidavits from five authors of the Medical Professional Liability Act of 1986 failed to convince the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals that the act does not cover pharmacies... Opinion - Linda Hunt Beckman: The single-payer solution Philadelphia Inquirer, PA - Mar. 20, 2007 ...Single-payer health care in Pennsylvania would be much like Medicare for all (but better, because it would cover all costs; offer medications at a fair price; provide dental, optical, and mental-health care, and allow a relatively straightforward and just settlement - within the system - for malpractice)... State refuses malpractice liability on veterans home The Morning News, Springdale, AR - Mar. 19, 2007 ...The state's position is that the liability insurance is not needed because the state cannot be sued, said Sen. Dave Bisbee, R-Rogers, author of the amendment... Medical malpractice news
Law makes medical Good Samaritans hard to find The Birmingham News, AL - Mar. 19, 2007 ...That's despite a Good Samaritan law passed by the Legislature in 2000, shielding clinic volunteers from malpractice liability... Opinion - Rep. Scott Inman: Glad that week's finally over! The Sunday Sun, Midwest City, OK - Mar. 19, 2007 ...The bills would have capped damages in medical malpractice cases and various other civil suits. All three bills were authored by Republican representatives. Despite that fact, none of the bills were heard... Medical liability reform stalling Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN - Mar. 19, 2007 ...But after five years, there is now agreement among GOP leaders that the $250,000 limit on punitive damages sought by the Tennessee Medical Association won't be included in a compromise bill worked out with Democrats in the House of Representatives... State senators try to retool immunity to ER docs Macon Telegraph, GA (Associated Press) - Mar. 19, 2007 ...Now their story, and others, has prompted Georgia lawmakers to propose retooling the laws and make it easier for alleged malpractice victims to make their case in court... Editorial: A malpratice crisis that wasn't Des Moines Register, IA - Mar. 19, 2007 ...No tort reform. Lower malpractice premiums. Lawmakers should remember that the next time they get the urge to dust off their tired arguments... Opinion - Julia Anderson: Liability issue hurts doctors The Columbian, Vancouver, WA - Mar. 18, 2007 ...My other friend has just emerged from a more than two-year ordeal with a malpractice lawsuit that should never have seen the light of day. The experience was so demoralizing, so depressing, this doctor is now counting the days until he can quit... Opinion - Matthew C. Katz: Poor prognosis Hartford Courant, CT - Mar. 18, 2007 ...His malpractice insurance costs $15,000. His annual salary is $75,000. That's not a typo - it's fairly typical for a primary care physician in Connecticut... Fear of lawsuits means fewer radiologists read mammograms Billings Gazette, MT - Mar. 18, 2007 ...Missed breast cancer is the most common basis for medical malpractice lawsuits in the United States, according to the Physician Insurers Association of America, a trade group of medical malpractice insurance carriers... Med mal issue far from dead The Telegraph, Alton, IL - Mar. 17, 2007 ...That's why a group of Madison County judges is reaching out to the medical and legal communities in hopes of heading off the type of head-on battle that raged during the lead-up to the 2005 debate in the Illinois General Assembly... Medical malpractice news
No cap, no problem for Oregon's med-mal insurers, says study LegalNewsline.com, Chicago, IL - Mar. 16, 2007 ...This despite the fact that Oregon's Supreme Court removed a cap on med-mal awards eight years ago... Tenn. malpractice bill pushes certification to weed out claims Insurance Journal, CA - Mar. 16, 2007 ...A compromise on medical malpractice reform in the works by the Tennessee Legislature wouldn't set a cap on damages but would create a way to penalize lawyers who bring frivolous lawsuits... State's malpractice insurer doesn't reward lawsuit-free doctors The Tennessean, Nashville, TN - Mar. 16, 2007 ...While a lead-footed driver pays more for car insurance after a speeding ticket, most Tennessee doctors who botch a surgery or harm a patient pay the same for malpractice insurance as their lawsuit-free peers do... House passes exemption of doctors from consumer act The Wichita Eagle, KS - Mar. 16, 2007 A bill that protects physicians and other health care providers from being sued over services under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act passed the House on Thursday and is headed for Senate consideration as early as next week... Medical malpractice news
Editorial: Malpractice reform pays off for some The Intelligencer & Wheeling News-Register, Wheeling, WV - Mar. 15, 2007 ...Malpractice insurance premiums reportedly are more reasonable than they were in the past. More than two-thirds of the state's physicians now have policies through the mutual... It's tort reform time in Tennessee Facing South, Durham, NC - Mar. 15, 2007 If it's springtime, state legislators are in session and tort reform is again a hot topic in states where it hasn't already been passed... Forum seeks solution for ERs Palm Beach Post, FL - Mar. 15, 2007 ...Panel members suggested urging private hospitals to give on-call doctors immunity from malpractice to encourage them to work... Medical malpractice news
La. to give bonuses, incentive to get doctors to N.O. The Shreveport Times, LA - Mar. 14, 2007 ...Health-care workers who commit to work three years in Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines or St. Bernard parishes will be eligible for loan repayments, sign-up bonuses, malpractice premium payments, relocation expenses and income guarantees under the grant program... Business: Medical malpractice bill vote delayed Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN - Mar. 14, 2007 ...State Sen. Mark Norris, R-Collierville, on Tuesday asked the Senate Judiciary Committee to delay a vote on his medical malpractice bill for another week because negotiations among the various parties are continuing... Bill would extend public review of malpractice insurance settlements WTNH-TV, New Haven, CT (Associated Press) - Mar. 13, 2007 ...Lawmakers have amended a medical malpractice bill that would allow the public to see malpractice insurance settlements of any medical professional... Number of obstetricians declining WTAE-TV, Pittsburgh, PA - Mar. 13, 2007 The number of obstetricians in the area has dropped significantly in the last 15 years. The cost of malpractice insurance has forced them to leave or retire, but one community hospital has decided not to shrink but grow... Editorial: $429,750 is too high a salary Charleston Daily Mail, WV - Mar. 13, 2007 ...The purpose of this state-provided company is not to enrich a few bureaucrats. The purpose was to provide medical malpractice insurance as cheaply as possible to physicians in this state to keep the hospitals in the state fully staffed... Medical malpractice news
Insurer offers doctors a rare premium refund NorthJersey.com, Hackensack, NJ - Mar. 13, 2007 ...at a time when the state is paying subsidies to doctors to offset rising malpractice premiums, any relief is welcome, physicians say... Settlement reached in Florida lawsuit The Birmingham News, AL - Mar. 13, 2007 ...Birmingham's ProAssurance Corp. said Monday it has reached a confidential settlement in a Florida case involving a $217 million verdict against a doctors' group it insured... Doctor, 81, keeps Arkansas hospital open Ledger-Enquirer, Columbus, GA (Associated Press) - Mar. 12, 2007 ...announced they could no longer continue seeing patients at Pike County Memorial because their malpractice insurer had discontinued coverage for their hospital work. A third doctor had retired previously.... Medical malpractice news
Breaking news: Health insurance lobbyist questions Rendell plan The Patriot-News, Harrisburg, PA - Mar. 12, 2007 ...Rep. Mike Turzai, R-Pittsburgh, who heads the GOP policy committee, said he was "disappointed" in Rendell's plan. He said he favors a greater reliance on health savings accounts, and he also said a successful plan must include medical malpractice lawsuit reform... Insurer settles in malpractice case Tampa Bay Business Journal, FL - Mar. 12, 2007 ...ProAssurance Corp. said a confidential settlement would end all litigation and appeals stemming from and related to a $217 million malpractice verdict in Tampa... Opinion - Wayne Christeson: Medical malpractice reform Nashville Scene, TN - Mar. 12, 2007 ...Medical malpractice reformer Douglas Wojcieszak will appear to discuss his proposal entitled "Sorry Works," an alternative to traditional malpractice litigation... Insurer's chief made $429,750 last year Charleston Daily Mail, WV - Mar. 12, 2007 ...West Virginia Physicians' Mutual was formed by the Legislature after hundreds of West Virginia doctors wearing their white lab coats descended upon the Capitol to point out problems with medical malpractice coverage... Opinion - Tom Burke: CT scans: Risk now or risk later? The Olympian, Olympia, WA - Mar. 12, 2007 ...To perform more CT scans means more diagnoses with certainty, fewer malpractice lawsuits, but more people with eventual cancers. Incentives are in battle with one another... Insurer Rx: Kind doctors DesMoines Register, IA - Mar. 12, 2007 ...When United Medical Liability Insurance Co. began business mid-2005, President and Chief Executive James Krist, 48, said that he wanted to develop a malpractice carrier that is attuned to the physicians in Iowa... Oregon malpractice claims among nation's lowest The Oregonian, Portland, OR (Associated Press) - Mar. 11, 2007 ...Medical malpractice claim payouts in Oregon are lower than those in all but seven other states despite the elimination of a cap on such awards in 1999, a new study shows... Editorial: Home to roost St. Clair Record, WI - Mar. 11, 2007 ..."Deep pockets" tort law, or concept of targeting defendants based on their ability to pay, rather than their actual fault in causing an injury, is a civil justice anachronism. There's a reason why state-after-state is outlawing the practice, not encouraging it... Opinion - Larry Daughtrey: Bloated insurance coffers, not malpractice suits, are the problem The Tennessean, Nashville, TN - Mar. 11, 2007 ...The annual battle between trial lawyers on one side and physicians, hospitals and insurance companies on the other is now under way. Lawyers say it's about medical malpractice. Health-care professionals say it's tort reform... Many doctors know the frustration of waiting Houston Chronicle, TX - Mar. 10, 2007 ...The volume rose after voters passed a law limiting lawsuit awards, which reduced the cost of malpractice insurance -- making Texas a more attractive place to practice... Are pharmacies health care providers? Court will hear arguments The West Virginia Record, Charleston, WV - Mar. 9, 2007 ...Attorney J. Robert Rogers of Hurricane, seeking to prove that West Virginia's medical malpractice law does not apply to pharmacies, produced affidavits to that effect from five members of the 1986 legislature... Medical malpractice legislation postponed, proponents worried Nashville Business Journal, TN - Mar. 9, 2007 ...A medical liability reform bill introduced this legislative session was postponed in committee last week for the second time, raising concerns from supporters that it could be killed for the sixth time... Doctors rushing to practice in Texas after tort reform Austin Business Journal, TX - Mar. 9, 2007 ...The state's sweeping medical malpractice lawsuit reforms in 2003, which capped payouts in medical malpractice cases, created one of the least-risky climates for doctors in the country... Medical malpractice news
New political realities on Hill with GOP-led Senate Nashville City Paper, TN - Mar. 9, 2007 ...Compromise between the Republican Senate and the Democratic House could come on issues such as medical malpractice reform ... Medical malpractice news
Bill lets doctors speak freely Review-Journal, Las Vegas, NV - Mar. 8, 2007 ...Secondly, if a doctor has committed an act of malpractice and the case goes forward, the very last question I would ask is whether or not he or she apologized... Opinion - James Lileks: Health care doesn't require state takeover Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA - Mar. 8, 2007 ...In those days, however, they didn't have high-tech preemie wards, in-utero surgery or annual malpractice premiums exceeding the cost of the doctor's education... No cap, but no hike in payouts The Oregonian, Portland, OR - Mar. 8, 2007 ...Payouts for medical malpractice claims remain lower in Oregon than in all but seven other states, despite the loss of a cap on damage awards in 1999... Compromise to hold lawyers responsible The Tennessean, Nashville, TN (Associated Press) - Mar. 8, 2007 A compromise on medical malpractice reform in the works at the legislature wouldn't set a cap on damages but would create a way to penalize lawyers who bring frivolous lawsuits.... Medical malpractice news
Mediation helps hospitals steer clear of courtrooms Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA - Mar. 7, 2007 ...The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's pioneering formal mediation process not only helps settle malpractice claims before they go to court, but it also allows both sides to think about creative ways to work things out... Chillicotheans lobby for physician assistants bill Constitution-Tribune, Chillicothe, MO - Mar. 7, 2007 ...Studies show that PAs working with their supervising doctor provide quality care. PAs represent less than 1 percent of all malpractice payments, he said... Boston woman sues for child-rearing costs after failed abortion Boston Globe, MA - Mar. 7, 2007 ...As with all medical malpractice suits in Massachusetts, Raper's complaint will have to be screened by a tribunal consisting of a Superior Court judge, a lawyer, and a doctor to determine whether it has merit to go to trial. Moves on Tenn. malpractice commercialappeal.com, Memphis, TN - Mar. 7, 2007 Tennessee lawmakers may be close to a compromise on medical malpractice legislation that would end a years-long conflict between lawyers and doctors, the leader of the state House Judiciary Committee said Tuesday... Compromise sought on state's malpractice laws Knoxville News Sentinel, TN - Mar. 7, 2007 ...The tentative proposal, however, also would drop a key provision long sought by physicians, hospitals and insurance companies: limits on the amount of damages that can be awarded to people injured by negligent health-care providers... Medical malpractice news
Schwarzenegger's top prison health aide resigns under pressure Contra Costa Times, CA (Associated Press) - Mar. 6, 2007 ...The judge ruled that the prison system wasn't acting quickly enough to improve conditions he said were leading to an average of one inmate death each week from medical malpractice or neglect... Report: Lawyers out to loosen grip of 2005 tort law The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA - Mar. 6, 2007 ...The proposal, Senate Bill 286, would repeal the section of the law that requires medical malpractice plaintiffs to prove that emergency room doctors acted with gross negligence... Med-malpractice deal within reach on Capitol Hill Nashville Post, TN - Mar. 6, 2007 ...That's what may be afoot, as a nationally unprecedented concord among medical providers and the legal profession comes together -- just maybe -- to bring a brand-new model of malpractice litigation reform to Tennessee... Editorial: Victims of malpractice deserve rightful judgment The Tennessean, Nashville, TN - Mar. 6, 2007 ...But that's no reason to close off awards that should go to innocent patients who are victims of malpractice... Opinion - F. Michael Minch, MD: Reform will do more than cap damages The Tennessean, Nashville, TN - Mar. 6, 2007 ...The crisis is the adverse impact that the volume and severity of medical malpractice lawsuits have on the availability, safety and cost of medical services in our state... Opinion - John A. Day: Injured patients deserve equal justice The Tennessean, Nashville, TN - Mar. 6, 2007 ...Government-funded studies tell us that almost 2,000 Tennesseans die as a result of medical malpractice each year. Certainly, tens of thousands are injured... Malpractice lump sums Denver Post, CO - Mar. 6, 2007 ...A proposal to speed malpractice-suit payments was sent to the governor Monday on a 61-4 House vote.... Medical malpractice news
Editorial: Universal health care ultimate 'tort reform' The Tomah Journal, Tomah, WI - Mar. 5, 2007 ...In the debate over tort reform, nobody acknowledges that so many of the most expensive lawsuits, particularly medical malpractice cases, boil down to which party must pay the medical bills... Editorial: 'Tort reform' needs surgery, lawmakers say Daily Report, GA - Mar. 5, 2007 ...A bipartisan group of state lawmakers last week introduced legislation to repeal a controversial part of the law that enacted sweeping changes to state rules governing medical-malpractice suits... Feeling the pain Connecticut Business News Journal - Mar. 5, 2007 There is no consensus on how to moderate the sharp increases in malpractice insurance premiums, how to make sure injured patients are compensated -- or even whether Connecticut has a medical malpractice crisis at all... Opinion - John M. Gallagher: Tort reform case has a false basis Patriot-News, Harrisburg, PA - Mar. 3, 2007 ...MCARE's assessment to doctors for the premium to cover the cost of medical malpractice insurance has been going down for the past five years... Malpractice damage cap dies Star Bulletin, Honolulu, HI - Mar. 3, 2007 ...House lawmakers have killed a bill that would have placed limits on damages under Hawaii's medical malpractice law, despite the pleas of dozens of doctors who rallied for the legislation... Editorial: Malpractice caps might not control insurance premiums Star Bulletin, Honolulu, HI - Mar. 3, 2007 ...A proposal to limit non-economic damages in a malpractice lawsuit to $500,000 died again in this year's session, and such a measure's potential success at bringing insurance premiums under control remains questionable... Medical malpractice news
W. Va. high court: Public hospital violated open-meetings law First Amendment Center, TN (Associated Press) - Mar. 2, 2007 ...The latest ruling stemmed from Hamrick's attempt to appear before the medical staff executive committee to explain his medical malpractice plan... Supreme Court won't hear hospital's appeal in self-insured doctor's case The West Virginia Record, Charleston, WV - Mar. 2, 2007 ...The decision will probably do little to ease the malpractice insurance crisis considered by many to be happening... Opinion - Anna Barbara Hantz: Here’s what HB 143 aims to accomplish Nashua Telegraph, NH - Mar. 2, 2007 ...HB 143 has nothing to do with the medical malpractice "tort reform" that the insurance and medical lobby pushed through last session ... Bill to cap malpractice awards falls short The Honolulu Advertiser, HI - Mar. 2, 2007 ...Medical malpractice reform is dead this legislative session after members of the state House Judiciary committee last night decided they couldn't come up with a figure that would constitute "fair" monetary damages... Medical malpractice news
Appeal in dismissed Mason malpractice case raises constitutional issue The West Virginia Record, Charleston, WV - Mar. 1, 2007 ...An appeal of a dismissed Mason County malpractice case may provide the state Supreme Court an opportunity to decide on not only the constitutionality of requiring pre-suit notification, but also a state law designed to curb malpractice suits... Opinion - Daniel Kelly: Let's not tolerate judicial activism The Capital Times, Madison, WI - Mar. 1, 2007 ...In a remarkable example of this activism, the court recently struck down a statutory cap on non-economic damages in medical malpractice injury cases... Malpractice award cap in play Star Bulletin, Honolulu, HI - Mar. 1, 2007 ...The 1,300-member Hawaii Medical Association is lobbying for a bill that would cap the noneconomic damages in a malpractice suit at $500,000. Currently there is no cap on noneconomic damages... Medical board accused of laxity Charlotte Observer, NC - Mar. 1, 2007 A Raleigh physician and three others filed a lawsuit Wednesday alleging that the N.C. Medical Society exerts too much control over which physicians are appointed to the state board that licenses and disciplines doctors... Suit claims conflict of interest by state board Star News, Wilmington, NC - Mar. 1, 2007 ..."Because of the control exercised by the Medical Society, the Medical Board has repeatedly failed to fulfill its duty to identify, investigate and prosecute physicians who endanger North Carolina patients," the lawsuit states... Doctor takes on Medical Society The News & Observer, Raleigh, NC - Mar. 1, 2007 ...If a judge agrees, the legal action could force the state legislature to restructure the board that oversees the 20,600 doctors who practice in North Carolina... Bill may speed suit payments Denver Post, CO - Mar. 1, 2007 ...A bill passed unanimously by the House Judiciary Committee would allow the Vitettas and children who win jury trials in malpractice cases the right to collect immediate payment... Lawsuit-award bill advances Colorado Springs Gazette, CO - Mar. 1, 2007 ...Majority Leader Alice Madden, the House sponsor, noted that the law likely will affect only two to three people per year, as plaintiffs who settle out of court and who are older than 21 can receive a lump payment now... Last insurance 'fix' hasn't slashed rates St. Petersburg Times, FL - Mar. 1, 2007 ...Four years after the Legislature capped certain types of pain and suffering damages, Florida doctors still pay the highest malpractice insurance rates in the country... Doctors rally at the Capitol to call attention to Hawaii's patient access to medical care crisis Hawaii Reporter, Honolulu, HI - Feb. 28. 2007 ...The rally is to support HB220, HD2, a bill proposing medical liability reform for Hawaii. A House Judiciary Committee hearing on the bill is scheduled for Thursday, March 1, 2007... KMC physicians will have to get own insurance The Bakersfield Californian, CA - Feb. 28, 2007 ..."We should never expect the taxpayers of Kern County to take on the liability for physicians when they're in their private practices. It's not fair to the taxpayers or to the rest of the physicians at Kern Medical Center."... |
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