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Archives
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A call for better access to maternity care in Northeast Phila. Philadelphia Business Journal, PA - Jan. 31, 2008 ...Since 1996, 14 area hospitals, citing expensive malpractice insurance costs and inadequate reimbursement rates from insurers, have closed their maternity wards. Just one, Jennersville Medical Center in southern Chester County, has opened an obstetrics department... Doctors list goals for legislative session Herald Leader, Lexington, KY - Jan. 31, 2008 The Kentucky Medical Association on Wednesday unveiled its goals for the legislative session, which include tort reform, loan forgiveness for medical students who agree to practice in rural areas and changes to laws regarding health insurance... 'Our mission ... compassionate, quality care' The Southtown Star, Tinley Park, IL - Jan. 31, 2008 ...Also, Indiana limits malpractice lawsuit payouts, while Illinois has no cap. That forces this state's physicians to carry hefty insurance policies... CCMH petitions U.S. Supreme Court on appeal Parkersburg News and Sentinel, WV - Jan. 31, 2008 ...In December attorneys representing Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital filed a petition asking the high court to address the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals failure to review the constitutionality of the punitive damages awarded... Opinion - Morrow Hall: Should health insurance companies be for profit? - No Helium, Andover, MA - Jan. 30, 2008 ...Malpractice laws should be reformed. Drug companies should be permitted to advertise prescription drugs only to doctors. Hypochondriacs should not be permitted to hog health care... Medical malpractice news
Report on Marion VA investigation released Marion Daily Republican, Marion, IL - Jan. 30, 2008 ..During the credentialing process, the Marion VA at times failed to document its consideration of such important credentialing information as malpractice claims... Web site helps users check out doctors South Bend Tribune, IN - Jan. 30, 2008 ...Some states also offer details about a doctor's training, education and whether he or she has paid a malpractice claim... Opinion - U.S. Senator John Cornyn: Expanding Health Coverage for Texas Children Woodlands Online, TX - Jan. 30, 2008 ...We can allow risk pooling, increased portability of insurance coverage, more transparency in health information and records, increased preventative care, medical liability reform and equity on health care in our tax system... ProAssurance to expand in South, Midwest The Birmingham News, AL - Jan. 30, 2008 ProAssurance, Alabama's largest medical malpractice insurer, will continue to expand in the South and Midwest, its CEO Stan Starnes said Tuesday... Fitch upgrades OHIC parent to A rating Business First of Columbus, OH - Jan. 30, 2008 ...Napa, Calif.-based Doctors Co., which acquired Columbus-based medical liability carrier OHIC in January 2007, said it received the upgrade to an A, or strong, rating from an A- based on a recently announced agreement to acquire Los Angeles-based malpractice insurer SCPIE Holdings Inc... Medical malpractice news
Text of President Bush's State of the Union speech Arizona Star, Tucson, AZ - Jan. 29, 2008 ...improved information technology to prevent medical errors and needless costs, association health plans for small businesses and their employees, expanded health savings accounts, and medical liability reform that will reduce health care costs, and make sure patients have the doctors and care they need... Lawmakers say session too short to fix tort cap The Oregonian, Portland, OR - Jan. 29, 2008 In greenlighting a $17 million medical malpractice lawsuit against the state, the Oregon Supreme Court sent a clear message to lawmakers: The cap on damages from injuries caused by government negligence is too low, and they need to fix it... 19 deaths in Ill. linked to poor VA care Journal Gazette, Mattoon, IL (Associated Press) - Jan. 29, 2008 Substandard care at a southern Illinois Veterans Affairs hospital may have contributed to 19 deaths over the past two years, a VA official said as he apologized to affected families and pledged reform.... Opinion - Ted Frank: "Junk Medical Lawsuits" and myths PointofLaw.com, NY - Jan. 29, 2008 ...if Pennsylvania or New York would rather support their attorneys than their doctors, Texas would be happy to have them; let individual states choose their malpractice regimes and live with the consequences... Medical malpractice news
Some Ohio officials say too soon to measure impact of tort reform efforts Insurance Journal, CA (Associated Press) - Jan. 28, 2008 ...The state insurance director said last week that it's too soon to tell whether restrictions lawmakers put in place five years ago to deal with concerns about medical malpractice claims are having an effect... Editorial: Pa. Health Care Philadelphia Inquirer, PA - Jan. 28, 2008 ...Additional money would come from the surplus in the fund Rendell set up to subsidize doctors' malpractice insurance costs. This is the perfect, no-new-tax piece of the insurance puzzle... Opinion - Joe Pellicer: Medical testing, dealing with uncertainty The Olympian, Olympia, WA - Jan. 28, 2008 ..Second is the ongoing problem with malpractice law. The manner in which medical malpractice is prosecuted in our country is partially responsible for a paranoid pattern of doctors overordering tests... Experts suggest ways to better protect patients Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI - Jan. 28, 2008 ...Make available to the public the National Practitioner Data Bank, a massive database that lists every time a doctor is disciplined by a medical board, pays a malpractice claim... Opinion - Renie Schapiro: Emergency rooms' growing problems affect us all Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI - Jan. 27, 2008 ..He faces greater liability - malpractice cases are less common when the patient knows and likes the doctor - and higher malpractice premiums. And he still has his own patients to see... Editorial: Rendell changes tactics, improves health care bills Daily and Sunday Review, Towanda, PA - Jan. 27, 2008 ...There are several reasons that the proposal would be advantageous to the medical community. First is that it would guarantee the state contributions to their malpractice payments for 10 years... Is there a doctor in? The Gillette News-Record, WY - Jan. 27, 2008 ...According to a hospital needs assessment, 70 percent of doctors leaving residency are seeking hospital employment because of "high malpractice rates, reimbursement hassles and administrative duties of private practice."... Denn keeps pushing insurance reforms The News Journal, Wilmington, DE - Jan. 26, 2008 ...Legislation allowing retired doctors to work for the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Elsmere, where there are no orthopedic surgeons, without losing malpractice insurance. Patients requiring certain procedures must go out of state because local doctors risk exposure to past malpractice cases... Cappelli meets with Bradford County Republicans Daily and Sunday Review, Towanda, PA - Jan. 26, 2008 ...“What we have failed to do is reduce the $1 million minimum amount of liability insurance every physician in this state must carry,” he said... Medical malpractice news
Panel endorses health care waiver Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City, UT - Jan. 25, 2008 ...brought to light just how important the bill is, as health practitioners from nearby Preston, Idaho, would have to pass through bureaucratic hurdles and risk having no malpractice insurance in order to come help... Editorial: Too much, too fast Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, CA - Jan. 25, 2008 ...Before Sillen arrived, the prison system was blamed for an average of one inmate death a week because of malpractice and neglect... Editorial: This week's winners and losers in Oregon Statesman Journal, Salem, OR - Jan. 25, 2008 ...Now it faces a potential $30 million annual deficit after a court ruling that lifted its liability cap on malpractice awards... Senator pushing for bill to let retired doctors practice WAFF-TV, Huntsville, AL - Jan. 24, 2008 ...He's pushing a bill that would let retired doctors practice medicine, while the state pays for their malpractice insurance... Local issues on state agenda The Valley Gazette, Shelton, CT - Jan. 24, 2008 ...Another cause of health care inflation is malpractice insurance caused by frivolous lawsuits, Debicella said. Caps are needed on lawyers' fees and non-medical awards, he said... Medical malpractice news
Wis. proposal would expand malpractice lawsuits to parents of adults Insurance Journal, CA (Associated Press) - Jan. 24, 2008 ...Right now, parents of adult children in Wisconsin can't sue for malpractice deaths. Adult children also don't have the right to sue if their parents die because of malpractice... Prison commission rejects ACLU proposal Nevada Appeal, Carson City, NV - Jan. 24, 2008 ..."The pervasive disregard for human suffering and the shocking medical malpractice revealed in the 35 case files I reviewed is almost unbelievable," Noel wrote in his report... Federal judge appoints new prison receiver Monterey Herald, CA (Associated Press) - Jan. 24, 2008 Robert Sillen's blunt and combative style succeeded in beginning the turn-around of California's dangerously inadequate prison health care system, a system that at one point was blamed for killing an inmate a week through negligence or malpractice... Middle ground sought between physician rights, openness The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN - Jan. 24, 2008 ...The Institute of Medicine concluded in a 1999 report that medical errors were killing nearly 100,000 Americans per year. The report helped spur interest in health care quality and insurers now check to see if doctors are following proven treatments... Opinion - Steve Duin: The lean and the mean on Pill Hill The Oregonian, Portland, OR - Jan. 24, 2008 ...Yet in December, Oregon's Supreme Court effectively rejected the absurd $200,000 liability cap in malpractice cases . . . and OHSU suddenly announces it must eliminate more than 200 jobs... Medical malpractice news
Medicaid will not cover errors in Pa. Philadelphia Inquirer, PA - Jan. 23, 2008 Taxpayers will no longer pick up the tab for extra care due to serious preventable hospital errors, Gov. Rendell said yesterday, a move that continues Pennsylvania's status as a leader of the growing national push to reduce mistakes in health care... State won't make Medicaid payments for hospital errors Philadelphia Inquirer, PA (Associated Press) - Jan. 23, 2008 Pennsylvania will no longer make Medicaid payments to hospitals for serious medical errors that could have been prevented , an apparent first in the nation... Rendell says he'll fight re-election of opponents of health care plan The Morning Call, Allentown, PA - Jan. 23, 2008 ...Rendell also said the state will no longer reimburse hospitals for costs related to medical errors affecting patients on medical assistance... Editorial: Improved 'Cover All Pennsylvanians' plan deserves Legislature's support Medical malpractice news
N.J. distributes $16.4M in medical malpractice insurance subsidies Insurance Journal, CA - Jan. 22, 2008 ...Payment amounts are based on a number of factors, including average expenditures for medical malpractice liability insurance among physicians in the eligible specialties... Editorial: Stop the risky money raids Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, WI - Jan. 21, 2008 ..It took all of one business day for the state 's $200 million transfer from a medical malpractice fund to go haywire... Medical malpractice news
Doctor shortage likely in Anne Arundel Examiner.com - Jan. 21, 2008 ... “We’re approaching this regionally, particularly what is the impact going to be on emergency services and disaster assistance,” said Bob Leib, the county’s BRAC coordinator. Medical officials have blamed the state’s doctor shortage on high malpractice insurance costs and low pay... Lawmaker pitches new arbitration plan Salt Lake Tribune, UT - Jan. 21, 2008 Four years after the issue of medical arbitration exploded with controversy on Capitol Hill, it's back. Rep. Stephen Urquhart, R-St. George, is proposing a new arbitration process he says would make it faster and cheaper to resolve medical malpractice claims under $300,000... Opinion - Dr. Jay Grossman: 'Expert' witness is heart of med-mal problem Miami Herald, FL - Jan. 21, 2008 ...To file a malpractice suit, the lawyer has to find a doctor willing to say that the treating physician fell below the standard of care in the community. Where do you find these people? It's easy... Caretakers, lawbreakers: Center delivers babies legally St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO - Jan. 21, 2008 ...The debate will likely center on two demands by doctors -- that midwives have a signed collaborative practice agreement, whereby a physician agrees to work with the midwife in some capacity, as well as malpractice insurance. Midwives say both would be difficult, if not impossible, to obtain... Editorial: Lawmakers must work wtih Rendell on health insurance Erie Times-News, PA - Jan. 20, 2008 ...It's highly unlikely that the Republican-led Senate, for example, would ever agree to Rendell's proposal to pay for the insurance plan by taking money away from a state fund that helps doctors pay for malpractice insurance. But, to his credit, Rendell has said he isn't wedded to such a notion... Pennsylvania hospitals under siege The Times-Tribune, Scranton, PA - Jan. 20, 2008 ...Community hospitals face a variety of rising costs for all kinds of medical and testing equipment, drugs, fuel and malpractice insurance... Doctors get checks from medical liability relief fund American Medical News, Chicago, IL - Jan. 20, 2008 About 1,200 New Jersey physicians received $16 million last month to help pay their medical liability insurance, according to the state's Dept. of Banking and Insurance... Doctors fear impact of insurance surcharge Staten Island Advance, NY - Jan. 20, 2008 Staten Island doctors fear a proposal being floated to hit them with a $50,000 surcharge to solve the state's medical malpractice insurance funding woes could drive droves of physicians, from internists to high-risk specialists, out of medicine... Birth, the American way Newsweek -- Jan. 19, 2008 ...Natural-birth advocates say that hospitals, driven by profits and worried about malpractice, are too quick to intervene... With suspension lifted for Allstate, Florida regroups Herald-Tribune, Sarasota, FL - Jan. 19, 2008 ..Under the suspension, Allstate could not write any new auto, property, medical malpractice or other types of insurance in Florida... After Doyle and Legislature raid, patients fund has to borrow money Pierce County Herald, Ellsworth, WI - Jan. 18, 2008 The state fund that covers medical malpractice claims had to borrow millions after the governor and legislature raided it to balance the new state budget... Medical malpractice news
Panel looks at Del. courts' out-of-state asbestos trials The News Journal, Wilmington, DE - Jan. 18, 2008 ...On the other sat attorneys who defend the big companies, claiming the lawsuits have become so numerous and the system so overburdened that Delaware risks being saddled with a reputation as a "judicial hellhole."... Editorial: Analysis says state doctor friendly The Norman Transcript, Norman, OK - Jan. 18, 2008 ...The study emphasized factors such as malpractice climate, fee reimbursement and cost of living. Other top physician-friendly states cited in the study include Texas, Kansas, Indiana and South Dakota... In malpractice cases, defense often wins The Daily Pennsylvanian, Univ. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA - Jan. 18, 2008 ...In 2006, almost 85 percent of medical malpractice cases in Pennsylvania that reached a jury trial were settled in favor of the defense, Judicial Branch records show... Opinion - State Rep. Glen Casada: I'm determined to act on malpractice reform The Tennessean, Nashville, TN - Jan. 18, 2008 ...Malpractice insurance premiums and climbing jury awards have already begun to force many of Tennessee's doctors to opt for early retirement, shutting down their practices or eliminating high-risk and lifesaving procedures... Opinion - John A. Day: Health-care industry begs for a bailout The Tennessean, Nashville, TN - Jan. 18, 2008 ...The main rallying cry is that too many malpractice lawsuits and too many big jury verdicts are causing doctors to leave Tennessee. What are the facts?... Editorial: Law shouldn't treat doctors as a special class of people The Tennessean, Nashville, TN - Jan. 18, 2008 ...One problem off the bat in Tennessee is the insistence that a crisis exists. But statistics show that the number of medical malpractice lawsuits being filed in the state is on the decrease. How is that a crisis? ... State bans Allstate from writing any new policies The Tampa Tribune, FL - Jan. 18, 2008 ...Allstate did not immediately explain the functions of the 10 different subsidiaries named in the order, but the state Office of Insurance Regulation said Allstate was registered to write marine, earthquake, medical malpractice and workers' compensation policies here... Medical malpractice news
Analysis: Rendell health plan faces big battle Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA - Jan. 17, 2008 ...It was enacted in 2003 and gets its money from a 25-cents-a-pack tax on cigarettes. The fund helps doctors in the state pay for their malpractice insurance... Editorial: Program makes patients a health-care priority The Weekly Almanac, Honesdale, PA - Jan. 17, 2008 ...addresses two serious health concerns in the Wayne and Pike counties area: the inability of many residents to afford adequate health insurance, and thus, adequate health care, and an ongoing shortage of physicians due to the high cost of malpractice insurance... Vt. adds captive insurers, reaps benefits Rutland Herald, VT - Jan. 17, 2008 ...Towle said captives wrote more than $1 billion in premiums for medical malpractice coverage last year. He said he expects continued growth in liability captives for doctors and hospitals this year... Behind closed doors, lawmakers rebuff call to mandate health insurance for all Utahns Salt Lake Tribune, UT - Jan. 17, 2008 ...State officials could also recommend: ... * Health care providers be shielded from malpractice lawsuits if they follow best medical practices... Mississippi lawmakers will be asked to approve 'Haleycare' The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, MS - Jan. 17, 2008 ...Doctors and lawyers and others already use such arrangements for their liability coverage. Policies for their individual practices would be more expensive, so they pool with others for malpractice insurance... Editorial: Is there a doctor in the state? The Frederick News-Post, MD - Jan. 17, 2008 ...The report cites several key factors, including an aging physician workforce, and fundamentally flawed health insurance and medical malpractice insurance systems... Emergency room liability law under attack Gainesville Times, GA - Jan. 17, 2008 ...A slight change in the wording of Georgia’s malpractice reform law could make a big difference to hospitals and patients... Medical malpractice news
Delaware: Baby boomlet The News Journal, Wilmington, DE - Jan. 16, 2008 ...The high cost of medical malpractice insurance, he said, has caused many obstetricians to drop obstetrics or to leave Delaware to work in another state... Coffee, Republicans will push for lawsuit reform Tulsa Today, OK - Jan. 16, 2008 ... "Many doctors practice 'defensive medicine' -- such as ordering unnecessary, costly tests and examinations -- in order to defend against potential malpractice lawsuits."... Editorial: Shot in the arm for vaccines The Republican-American, Waterbury, CT - Jan. 16, 2008 ...Americans should take note of the success of this system in curbing jackpot litigation, protecting manufacturers of essential products, and curbing panics based on misinformation or premature conclusions. This might be a good time to revisit the concept of medical-malpractice courts... Rise in C-sections is stirring worry The New York Sun, NY - Jan. 16, 2008 ...Some say it's not the women choosing caesarians but doctors aiming to avoid complicated childbirths and possible malpractice lawsuits. "Obstetricians fear malpractice litigation,"... Opinion - Robert G. Eisele: Big business dominates health care Seattle Post-Intelligencer, WA - Jan. 16, 2008 ...In order to balance the books, one has to increase one's daily office visits by reducing the allotted time per patient, which sooner or later will negatively affect quality of care and result in more malpractice suits."... Medical malpractice news
New session likely to keep voters on edge of seats The Morning Call, Allentown, PA - Jan. 15, 2008 ...On health care: Rendell has proposed a $200 million raid on the surplus of a state-run medical malpractice insurance fund, as well as a higher cigarette tax... Rendell reiterates need for legislation to cover uninsured Philadelphia Inquirer, PA - Jan. 15, 2008 ...The account, funded with a 25-cent-per–pack cigarette tax, was set up to help pay doctors' malpractice insurance costs. The account surplus is now more than $400 million and should grow to $500 million this year... Study: Doctors not reporting their errors Iowa City Press-Citizen, IA - Jan. 15, 2008 ...And even though doctors who had been sued said in the study they were more likely to report errors, Kaldjian said there still is concern that disclosure might put a doctor at more risk for a malpractice case... Medical malpractice news
Rate issue is key The Macomb Journal, IL - Jan. 14, 2008 ...The society also will try to drum up public support for the state's current caps on medical malpractice awards while those caps are challenged in front of the Illinois Supreme Court... Bills focus on doctor apologies The Republican, Springfield, MA - Jan. 14, 2008 ...Now, proposed legislation would allow physicians to apologize and take responsibility following a mistake without fear that what they say could be used against them in a civil lawsuit... Opinion - Hector Lombana: Future of med-mal caps in doubt Miami Herald, FL - Jan. 14, 2008 Five years ago, following a well-documented battle between insurance companies and patient rights groups, Florida capped statutory damages on medical malpractice awards. Recent news suggests that the future of these caps may be in jeopardy... Medical malpractice exemption weighed for charitable care Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, VA (Associated Press) - Jan. 13, 2008 ...Parties in the debate call it the most significant matter taken up by justices regarding medical malpractice since 1990, when the court upheld the state's limit on malpractice awards... Universal interest in health care Sunday News, Lancaster, PA - Jan. 13, 2008 ...The plan would replace private insurance and government programs except for Medicare and Veterans Affairs. It would pay for the malpractice insurance of participating doctors... Opinion - Lewis S. Sharps, MD: Pennsylvania's crisis is not over The Bulletin, Philadelphia, PA - Jan. 11, 2008 ...The challenges posed by the yearly renewal of Mcare Abatement, the future plans for Mcare Phase-out and the potential for the trial bar to circumvent reforms still pose dramatic threats to the stability of affordable access to medical liability insurance... Medical malpractice news
Number of female ob-gyns here to rise considerably Spokane Journal of Business, WA - Jan. 11, 2008 ...Recruiting doctors to Spokane, regardless of their gender or field, is challenging, physicians here say. The high cost of medical malpractice insurance and shrinking reimbursement rates pose some of the biggest deterrents to potential recruits, they say... State to take on top insurers over costs Orlando Sentinel, FL - Jan. 11, 2008 ...Requiring an oath before testifying is rare in Florida legislative committees and was last employed during another insurance battle almost five years ago over medical malpractice rates... Florida Senate: Insurance execs must explain rates Miami Herald, FL - Jan. 11, 2008 ...''It was only when we put people under oath during the medical malpractice reform sessions that we finally got straight answers,'' Villalobos said... Medical malpractice news
Rendell, GOP still at odds over energy, health, taxes PIttsburgh Post-Gazette, PA - Jan. 10, 2008 ...On health care, Mr. Rendell wants to use about $200 million from a surplus of "Mcare funds," which help doctors pay for their medical malpractice insurance, along with higher cigarette taxes and a new tax on smokeless tobacco and cigars, to pay for health coverage for those who cannot afford it... High court takes up key issue Times-Dispatch, RIchmond, VA - Jan. 10, 2008 ...Lawyers on both sides of the issue have described it as the most significant matter taken up by the court regarding medical malpractice since 1990, when the Virginia Supreme Court upheld the state's limit on malpractice awards... Editorial: Our Say: Doctor shortage is real, and will need state action The Capital, Annapolis, MD - Jan. 9, 2008 ...The new report makes recommendations, at least one of which - changing the state's medical liability laws - has little chance of being acted on. Gov. Robert Ehrlich tried this in 2004, calling a special session of the legislature. The General Assembly balked at tort reform... Medical malpractice news
Political Page: Hails new law, eyes bad docs The Queens Gazette, NY - Jan. 9, 2008 ...Looking ahead, Gianaris said he plans to file new legislation requiring that the state Department of Health publish a list of doctors with the worst malpractice records... Opinion - Dr. Sanjit Bagchi: Doctor's group helps reduce frivolous lawsuits Health Care News, Chicago, IL - Jan. 9, 2008 ...The Greensboro, North Carolina-based organization currently represents more than 1,600 doctors in 47 states and is actively involved in more than 500 open medical malpractice cases... Opinion - Andy Peters: Lawmakers face tough decisions in '08 Daily Report, Atlanta, GA - Jan. 9, 2008 ...Two priorities of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association are improving consumers' lot in the area of uninsured motorist insurance coverage, and repealing a law that gives emergency-room physicians broad immunity from malpractice suits... Medical malpractice news
Counties await extra help on bench The Morning Call, Allentown, PA - Jan. 8, 2007 ...In Montgomery County, time-consuming medical malpractice suits are clogging the courts, criminal cases continue to rise to record levels and the county is struggling with the loss of senior judges... Opinion - Andrew F. Susko: Justice Cappy deserved recognition The Morning Call, Allentown, PA - Jan. 8, 2008 ...History will recall that Chief Justice Cappy reshaped Pennsylvania's medical malpractice landscape by requiring that a case be filed only in the county where the alleged malpractice occurred and by requiring an expert certification of merit before such a lawsuit can be started... 'Wrongful death' legislation passes in the end The Star-Ledger, Jersey City, NJ - Jan. 8, 2008 ...Many wrongful death lawsuits are typically filed against obstetricians, who pay among the highest medical malpractice insurance rates in the medical profession, Weinberg said. She said she feared the bill would make matters worse... Democrats list priorities for session Statesman Journal, Salem, OR - Jan. 8, 2008 ...the Oregon Supreme Court, which ruled that Oregon Health & Science University could not reduce its potential liability in a medical-malpractice case from $12 million to $200,000 by invoking existing limits on lawsuits against public agencies. Hunt said if lawmakers do anything, legislation will be focused narrowly on the effects of that decision... Maryland could see doctor shortage, study finds Washington Business Journal, DC - Jan. 8, 2007 ..To address the shortages, the study recommends that the state increase reimbursements for doctors, change laws to reduce medical malpractice costs that often drive doctors away from specific fields and the state... Study: Maryland doctor shortage worst in specialist fields, rural areas Insurance Journal, CA - Jan. 8, 2007 ...The hospital study calls for a number of legislative remedies including changing the state's medical liability laws, raising physician fees so Maryland is competitive nationally, and starting a state loan forgiveness program... State lacks practicing physicians Baltimore Sun, MD - Jan. 7, 2008 ...They also are calling for lower caps on medical malpractice judgments to cut liability premiums. With malpractice premiums dropping in the state, the legislature has indicated little interest in reforms this year... Medical malpractice news
Legislature faces diet of leftovers, heated up by politics WVLT-TV, Knoxville, TN (Associated Press) - Jan. 7, 2008 ...They also plan legislation to limit medical malpractice lawsuits, to clamp down on illegal immigration and to ban adoption by gay couples... Doctors seek increase in fees to copy medical records WPTV-TV, West Palm Beach, FL - Jan. 7, 2008 ...That's a move that's bringing protests from consumer advocates and malpractice lawyers... Opinion - Scott E. Maizel: Disappearing doctors The Baltimore Sun, MD - Jan. 7, 2007 ...In addition to all the familiar costs - rent, personnel, supplies, etc. - doctors in Maryland have been hit with skyrocketing malpractice insurance rates... Pennsylvania liability fund may be used to cover uninsured American Medical News, IL - Jan. 6, 2008 ...Pennsylvania physicians share those concerns and worry that dipping into the Mcare cookie jar could destabilize the medical liability climate and access to care... Md. doctors to get small portion of liability insurer's dividend American Medical News, IL - Jan. 6, 2008 ...Maryland's largest medical liability insurer, Medical Mutual Liability Insurance Society of Maryland, will return $84 million of a $98 million dividend to the state... 'Medical tourists' seek a miracle cure The News Journal, Wilmington, DE (Associated Press) - Jan. 6, 2008 ...And if something goes wrong, a patient's ability to sue for malpractice can become much murkier than if the procedure were performed in the U.S., said Andrew Fichter, executive director of the Health Law Institute at Widener Law School... 'Judicial hellhole' label challenged The Times West Virginian, Fairmont, WV - Jan. 6, 2008 ...The rise in rankings came after lawmakers approved caps on medical malpractice damages, eliminated third-party bad faith suits, privatized Workers Compensation and made changes in the area of joint and several liability... Einstein and Jeff plan to separate The Philadelphia Inquirer, PA - Jan. 5, 2008 ...Jefferson and Einstein will continue to pool their resources for physicians' malpractice insurance, and Einstein plans to maintain its academic affiliation with Thomas Jefferson University, Simon said... Medical malpractice news
Groups get geared up for legislative session West Virginia Record, WV - Jan. 4, 2008 ...Steve Cohen, executive director of West Virginia Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse, said his group will be pushing for laws to force reform in the state Attorney General's office... Opinion - Bill Caroselli: Pa. is for doctors Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA - Jan. 4, 2008 ...On medical malpractice, Pennsylvania has proven that the caseload can come down without taking away constitutional rights of its citizens. Medical malpractice news
Health coverage counts The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, SC - Jan. 3, 2008 ..."Reimbursements are on the decline and overhead expenses such as malpractice are rising dramatically. The struggles of operating a medical practice are becoming so overwhelming for physicians that a trend is developing of physicians seeking [other] employment opportunities."... Med mal law fixed non-problem, Starcher writes West Virginia Record, Charleston, WV - Jan. 3, 2008 ...In a Dec. 26 opinion, Starcher branded the Medical Professional Liability Act as "a monstrous, unconstitutional procedural mess."... Opinion - Paul Campbell: If you think health care is bad now, just wait Chillicothe Gazette, OH - Jan. 3, 2008 ...like primary care physicians who see their reimbursements consistently cut while their overhead (facility costs, equipment costs, instrument costs, malpractice costs, personnel costs, continuing education costs, office costs, etc. keep escalating... Ob-gyns discover Botox The Detriot News, MI - Jan. 3, 2008 ...Doctors say cosmetic medicine offers them additional revenue as they are increasingly squeezed by declining insurance reimbursements and the rising costs of doing business. Ob-gyns, in particular, pay among the highest malpractice premiums of all doctors, because of the risks involved in their field... Medical malpractice news
Justice says medical malpractice reforms fueling absurd cases Charleston Daily Mail, WV - Jan. 2, 2008 ..."I dissent to express my hope that, in the future, the court or the Legislature will recognize the absurd and unconstitutional effects of the (reform) and either strike down or repeal (the reform) in its entirety,"... Physician shortage looms in Maryland The Business Gazette, Gaithersburg, MD - Jan. 2, 2008 ...The report recommends capping medical malpractice awards, forgiving medical school loans for new rural physicians, rotating physicians into rural areas... Technology cuts risk of surgical sponges Chicago Tribune, IL - Jan. 2, 2008 ...Errors involving left-behind sponges can lead to more expensive liabilities if malpractice suits are successful against doctors and hospital staffs... Opinion - Dan Gold: Prescription process ensures patient safety Great Falls Tribune, MT - Jan. 1, 2008 ...When (not if) that case goes to court, and there is a finding that the doctor did not examine the patient and justify, in the medical record, the use of a medication or treatment which subsequently resulted in patient injury or a bad outcome, there is a high likelihood of a malpractice judgment against the provider... Medical malpractice news
Analysts decry legislative standstill Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA - Jan. 1, 2008 ...They're upset about the Legislature's failure to reauthorize a program that discounts pricey malpractice insurance... |
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