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Archives
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Foundations' doctors can be sued for malpractice The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, VA - Feb. 29, 2008 Doctors who work in charitable foundations are not immune from malpractice suits, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled this morning... Court: Doctors don't have immunity Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA - Feb. 29, 2008 ...The Virginia Supreme Court ruling affects more than 1,000 doctors across Virginia who are members of similar foundations linked to state teaching hospitals. Specifically, the ruling allows three malpractice suits against the University of Virginia Health Services Foundation and its doctors to move forward... Bill lifts damages cap for medical injuries The Denver Post, CO - Feb. 29, 2008 ...Under current law, a person suing a doctor or hospital for malpractice can recover $300,000 in noneconomic -- or "pain and suffering" -- damages. Senate Bill 164 would raise the cap on noneconomic damages to the same amount allowed in general personal-injury cases, about $450,000... Opinion - Mike Bandy: Legislature missed tort issue Keizertimes, Keizer, OR - Feb. 29, 2008 The Oregon Legislature should have tackled the issue of tort cap liability during its recently concluded special session... Editorial: President's Medicare plan still looks like weak remedy The Tennessean, Nashville, TN - Feb. 29, 2008 ...Other aspects of the president's proposal would limit damages in malpractice cases, which is a bad idea... Editorial: 'MedMal:' Medicaid should conform to limits The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, MS - Feb. 29, 2008 ...Medicaid recipients should be held to the same standard as all other citizens, and have the cap set at $500,000. Medical malpractice news
Bill would limit doctor liability in Miss. Medicaid cases Sun Herald, Gulfport, MS (Associated Press) - Feb. 28, 2008 ...Supporters say the proposal would help attract and retain doctors to serve Medicaid patients. But critics said the bill, which passed 27-18 Wednesday, is unfair to Medicaid patients because it restricts the amount they could receive in damages if they are harmed or killed by a doctor's recklessness... Opinion - Gary J. Andres: Rhetoric vs. reality The Washington Times, DC - Feb. 28, 2008 ...Medical malpractice law modification is one example. Neither Democratic candidate discusses this policy change because it gets them into hot water with the trial lawyers who bankroll their campaigns. Yet transformations in tort law could save patients money and provide more access to needed medical specialists... Editorial: Medical malpractice bill would harm rural areas The Denver Post, CO - Feb. 28, 2008 We're troubled by a bill pending in the state Senate that would raise the ceiling on medical malpractice awards -- while boosting premiums on malpractice insurance and possibly leading to reduced health care services in already underserved rural areas of Colorado... Editorial: Tough times ahead Pierce County Herald, Ellsworth, WI - Feb. 28, 2008 ...The 2007-09 budget enacted in late October was balanced on paper, but it included, among other things, a $200 million transfer to the general fund from a medical malpractice safety net for health providers... Doctors protected from Medicaid lawsuits under bill The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, MS - Feb. 27, 2008 ...Under the legislation, physicians would be provided immunity under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act, which controls all negligence suits brought against the state or local governments and public officials. The law limits damages that can be sought against the government... Bill to recruit doctors passes House The Torrington Telegram, WY - Feb. 27, 2008 ...The grant can reimburse recruiting costs up to $10,000, relocation expenses up to $20,000, malpractice insurance for two years up to $10,000 and signing bonuses up to $30,000... Medical malpractice news
HMA pushes for medical tort reform The Honolulu Advertiser, HI - Feb. 27, 2008 Hawai'i's largest doctor organization is making an 11th-hour push to get medical liability laws changed this legislative session, arguing that so-called medical tort reform would help reduce malpractice claims and insurance premiums and attract more physicians to the state... Doctor shortage at critical point The Honolulu Advertiser, HI - Feb. 27, 2008 ...Most often doctors blame the high cost of malpractice insurance coupled with a continuing decrease in reimbursement from medical insurance coverage... Association: Tort reforms effective McKnight's Long Term Care News, NY - Feb. 27, 2008 ...The American Medical Association reviewed about 10 "independent" studies that examined how caps on pain and suffering awards and medical liability risk affected insurance premiums, physician supply and defensive medicine costs... Profit rises at ProAssurance The Birmingham News, AL - Feb. 27, 2008 Birmingham's ProAssurance, one of the nation's biggest medical malpractice insurers, said income from continuing operations totaled $51.4 million in the fourth quarter, up from $35.8 million a year ago... Health care fix needed, Rendell tells congressmen The Morning Call, Allentown, PA - Feb. 27, 2008 ...He confronts a much more hostile crowd in Harrisburg, where his original proposal to pay for the plan in part by taxing businesses fell flat last year. He recently abandoned that idea in favor of using $267 million from a state-run medical malpractice insurance fund to help pay for the program... Editorial: Trial lawyers' bill: It's a gift that threatens health care The Gazette, Colorado Springs, CO - Feb. 26, 2008 ...The trial lawyer’s bill would increase a cap on non-economic damages from $300,000 to $462,000. It would add a category of relief called "physical impairment and disfigurement," in which awards could reach $500,000. Throw in economic damages -- the money awarded for lost income -- and awards would routinely exceed $1 million... Medical malpractice news
'Tort reform' gets a frontal assault Daily Report, Atlanta, GA - Feb. 26, 2008 After dealing with piecemeal challenges to the 2005 legislation that made it harder for plaintiffs to win suits, the Supreme Court of Georgia may soon get a case that tests the whole package, courtesy of the Fulton County Superior Court... Ex-Cowboy Springs in lawsuit challenging malpractice limit Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, TX (Associated Press) - Feb. 26, 2008 ...The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Marshall, challenges the 2003 Medical Malpractice and Tort Reform Act that limits awards in Texas. The lawsuit asks the court to declare the cap unconstitutional... Opinion - Carlos Muhletaler: Broken legal system chasing doctors away South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, FL - Feb. 26, 2008 ...when doctors are so concerned about the liability environment that they flee the state or decide not to enter certain "high risk" medical professions, patient care suffers... Opinion - Christine Bremer Muggli Wausau Daily Herald, WI - Feb. 26, 2008 ...Under current Wisconsin law, adult children don't have the right to seek justice if their widowed, divorced or single parent has died as a result of medical negligence... Medical malpractice news
High costs, security among concerns in switch to electronic health records Reno Gazette-Journal, NV - Feb. 25, 2008 ...High costs are especially tough for smaller physician groups, which don't have the resources that hospitals and larger medical groups do to pour into EHR. "There really is no money in this health care system for physicians in private practice to pay for (EHR)," Goetz said. "Most of their money is going toward malpractice insurance."... Physician incentive packages debated in Legislature Jackson Hole Star Tribune, WY - Feb. 25, 2008 ...State legislators are debating whether to provide grants to small hospitals to help them lure doctors with signing bonuses up to $30,000 and by covering the cost of their medical malpractice insurance for two years... Iowa Supreme Court adds twist to medical malpractice opinion Insurance Journal, CA (Associated Press) - Feb. 25, 2008 The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday sent two medical malpractice lawsuits back to district court after offering a new opinion on how the statute of limitations can be interpreted... Scpie Holdings backs merger deal with Doctors Co. at $28/share in cash RTT News, NY - Feb. 25, 2008 ...The merger is expected to create the largest insurer of physician and surgeon professional liability insurance in the U.S... Hospitals detailing plans to integrate The Times-Tribune, Scranton, PA - Feb. 24, 2008 ...The losses stemmed from charity care for the poor, ever-lower Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements, shortages of health care professionals, increasing malpractice insurance rates, aging facilities and tough competition from a variety of outpatient service providers... Opinion - Rick Fried: Don't fix what isn't broken: Malpractice reform doesn't work Star Bulletin, Honolulu, HI - Feb. 24, 2008 ...DCCA records also show that malpractice claims have fallen dramatically from 173 claims in 2001 to just 94 claims in 2007. That is an almost 50 percent reduction in claims... Country may face shortage of physicians Greenwich Time, CT - Feb. 24, 2008 ...In Connecticut, medical students and seasoned doctors cite the cost of living and expensive malpractice insurance as reasons ... Debate heats up over malpractice rates Greenwich Time, CT - Feb. 24, 2008 ...Physicians worry the case could push their already-high premiums up further and force quality doctors out of state... Opinion - Steve Flatt: Health-care funding is going to lawsuits The Tennessean, Nashville, TN - Feb. 24, 2008 ...To deal with this crisis, bills have been introduced in the legislature that would provide reasonable limits to non-economic losses in these cases. These limits mirror those set for workers' compensation cases in 2004. The components of this bill still allow individuals to be compensated more than $1 million for a claim. There would be no limits on the recovery of economic losses... Opinion - Rebecca Boyle: Tort: the good, the bad and the potentially reformed The Tribune, Greeley, CO - Feb. 24, 2008 ...In this case, they say, the bill is only intended to adjust the current lawsuit caps for inflation. The bill adjusts a definition used in lawsuits and increases the cap to $300,000 in cases involving awards for pain and suffering... Midwives seek state sanction Asheville Citizen-Times, NC - Feb. 23, 2008 ...They also have their liability to consider. Insurance companies don’t offer malpractice insurance for doctors to perform home births, Koerber said... Medical malpractice news
Panel will look at public liability limits Statesman Journal, Salem, OR - Feb. 22, 2008 ...The task force will study the implications of a Dec. 28 decision by 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... Schools collaborate to fix doctor shortage Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA - Feb. 22, 2008 ...noted that the program would help reduce a shortage of doctors -- especially in the small towns of Western Pennsylvania. He said medical liability issues in Pennsylvania chase doctors out of state... Patient physician partnership announced News-Democrat & Leader, Russellville, KY - Feb. 22, 2008 ...discussed the importance of giving Kentucky citizens the opportunity to vote on a constitutional amendment for liability reform. He said, "Kentucky's medical liability system is broken, threatens patient access to care, and drives up health insurance costs. We must follow the lead of our neighboring states and reform our medical liability system... Opinion - Rep. Jeb Hensarling: Medicare and entitlements The Washington Times, DC - Feb. 22, 2008 ...Solutions like medical liability reform that would reduce providers' costs associated with legal claims, saving money for Medicare and the general public... Malpractice insurer offers physicians a discount Portland Business Journal, OR - Feb. 21, 2008 ...The move by Northwest Physicians follows a recent trend of liability carriers promoting online patient-doctor connectivity, with hopes of fostering better communication with patients and improved patient safety... Medical malpractice news
Task force will study medical liability caps The Oregonian, Portland, OR - Feb. 21, 2008 ...The task force is set to study provisions in other states, rates of inflation, economic versus non-economic damages, and the possibility of separating medical malpractice cases from other negligence claims... Sen. Casey looks to help fund Women With Children Programs The Times-Tribune, Scranton, PA - Feb. 21, 2008 ...who is majoring in medical imaging, however, said he would like to see legislators do more to combat rising premiums in malpractice insurance. “Rural areas like Wayne County can’t afford to hire doctors because the insurance is too high... Opinion - State Sens. Bob Hagedorn and Josh Penry: Raising malpractice limits is risky The Denver Post, CO - Feb. 20, 2008 ...The pending legislation -- Senate Bill 164 -- would weaken sensible statutory restraints on runaway lawsuits against our state's physicians, undermining what has been one of the most successful health-care reforms by any state... North Country doctor shortage News10, Time Warner Cable, Syracuse, NY - Feb. 20, 2008 ...Doctors also say the state's high malpractice rates only add to the fact that nearly half of the doctors trained in New York move to other states... Medical malpractice news
Wrong way on damages Rocky Mountain News, CO - Feb. 20, 2008 ...Senate Bill 164, by Senate President Peter Groff, D-Denver, would boost the award a patient can receive for pain and suffering (noneconomic damages) in medical malpractice lawsuits from $300,000 to nearly $450,000... Malpractice crisis looms for area MDs Suffolk Life, Riverhead, NY - Feb. 20, 2008 ..."So, originally, a state fund was set up. But over the years the governors started taking money out of that fund, they disbanded it, and they created a medical malpractice insurance pool so that carriers [insurance companies] could take on responsibility for these doctors. If that money hadn't been taken from the original state fund, there wouldn't be much of a problem in this state... Editorial: Wisconsin may face tough financial times Hudson Star-Observer, WI - Feb. 20, 2008 ...The 2007-09 budget enacted in late October was balanced on paper, but it included, among other things, a $200 million transfer to the general fund from a medical-malpractice safety net for health providers... Opinion - Chris J. Minnick: New tax credits help underserved areas Las Cruces Sun-News, NM - Feb. 20, 2008 ..."From the cost of paying back medical school loans and malpractice insurance, there is a significant cost associated with being a health care provider... Medical malpractice news
Doctors' malpractice bills decrease The Indianapolis Star, IN - Feb. 19, 2008 ...The fund was established in 1976 to help compensate malpractice victims. Health care providers contribute to it on a voluntary basis, and the vast majority of Indiana's doctors participate... Malpractice rates drop Chronicle-Tribune, Marion, IN (Associated Press) - Feb. 19, 2008 Indiana doctors and hospitals will catch a break on the rates they pay to support a malpractice payout fund starting next month. But the deal probably won’t translate into lower patient bills... Malpractice bill gains The Denver Post, CO - Feb. 19, 2008 ...Senate President Peter Groff, D-Denver, said his legislation restores medical malpractice law to the intent lawmakers had when it was first passed in 1988... Medical error bill advances The Rocky Mountain News, CO - Feb. 19, 2008 Despite fierce opposition from doctors, a bill changing compensation for impairment or disfigurement from medical malpractice cleared its first hurdle Monday... Medical malpractice bill advances in Senate Denver Business Journal, CO - Feb. 18, 2008 ...The bill would raise the caps for non-economic damages (such as pain and suffering) in medical malpractice cases to match those in other types of lawsuits... Medical malpractice news
Supreme Court candidates address the issues Metro News, Charleston, WV - Feb. 18, 2008 ...What effect have medical malpractice verdicts had on West Virginia? When should State Supreme Court Justices recuse themselves from cases?... Plan aims to rein in Medicare spending Chicago Tribune, IL - Feb. 17, 2008 ...The administration also wants to shorten the time frame during which patients can file medical malpractice suits and limit damages for pain and suffering to $250,000 per incident... Rep. Tina Pickett supports COBRA bill Daily and Sunday Review, Towanda, PA - Feb. 17, 2008 ...She said he is proposing to take money out of the “M Care” fund, a fund developed for specialty doctors, such as an orthopedic surgeon, to pay part of the medical malpractice liability insurance that every specialty doctor is required to pay... Opinion - Jeff Roorda, state representative: Lawyers serve proudly in General Assembly Suburban Journals, Town and Country, MO - Feb. 17, 2008 ...Essentially, these alleged drivers of health care costs comprised a three-legged stool with one leg (malpractice torts) shorter than the other two... Opinion - J.P. Schmidt, Hawaii insurance commissioner: Hawaii urgently needs caps on malpractice claims Star Bulletin, Honolulu, HI - Feb. 17, 2008 ...The assertion that California's law capping noneconomic damages (e.g., emotional distress) did not work is simply not true. This is a complete misrepresentation... Dolorado Senate to vote on raising malpractice caps Denver Business Journal, CO - Feb. 15, 2008 ...A proposal to raise caps in medical malpractice lawsuits is scheduled to be heard by the Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee on Monday... Medical malpractice news
A promise too late Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA - Feb. 15, 2008 ...Created by state legislators 20 years ago, the no-fault program protects physicians and hospitals from certain malpractice lawsuits in exchange for providing lifetime care for eligible birth-injured children... Opinion - Debbie Griffin: May I say: Band-aids won't fix health crisis River Falls Journal, WI - Feb. 15, 2008 ...sometimes running every test and analysis possible, mostly to protect themselves from lawsuits. The cost of malpractice insurance is exorbitant, and it trickles down... Medical malpractice news
Costs worry M.D.s, too The East Hampton Star, NY - Feb. 14, 2008 ...Doctors on the South Fork say that, unless something is done to reverse the trend, recent and proposed rate increases in medical malpractice insurance could drive them out of the state... State gives nod to startup health insurer targeting small businesses Dayton Business Journal, OH - Feb. 14, 2008 The doctor investors who created the company were inspired by so-called "captive" malpractice insurers. More than 100 investors put $5.6 million into Physicians Assurance, which applied for its license in October... Opinion - Dan Semoffsky: Government health care? Wait in line Lebanon Daily News, PA - Feb. 14, 2008 ...if individuals were allowed to establish health-care "savings accounts," if effective tort reform involving medical malpractice were enacted, and ... Opinion - Eric Paul: Expand health system to cut expenses The Coloradoan, Ft. Collins, CO - Feb. 14, 2008 ...I doubt the insurance companies are entirely to blame. Other causes such as malpractice suits and insurance coverage mandates deserve more attention than they get... Ohio's malpractice claims appear down from 2005, data difficult to compare The Post, Ohio University - Feb. 14, 2008 The number of medical malpractice claims settled in Ohio in 2006 is down from 2005, but an Ohio Department of Insurance official said the data are hard to compare from year to year... Bad times hit state budget Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI - Feb. 13, 2008 ...A pending Dane County lawsuit over a $200 million transfer from a fund that pays awards to medical malpractice victims... Many lawsuits against pharmacies settled in silence USA Today - Feb. 13, 2008 ...says it's true confidentiality is agreed to "in the majority of tort suits," particularly when a company's or an individual's reputation is at stake, as in medical or pharmaceutical malpractice... Medical malpractice news
Texas physicians joins lawsuit to protect liability reforms Insurance Journal, CA - Dec. 13, 2008 ...TMA said it sued to resolve several constitutional challenges to the centerpiece of the 2003 reforms: a cap on noneconomic damages (such as for pain and suffering) that may be awarded in a medical liability case... Medical malpractice news
Opinion - Lowell H. Keppel: Amendment needed to protect patient compensation fund The Capital Times, Madison, WI - Feb. 12, 2008 ...The fund has been a key stabilizer of Wisconsin's medical liability climate, making it more attractive to physicians and easier to recruit the best... Opinion - Dr. John Hutto: House call: The medical economy The Times and Democrat, Orangeburg, SC - Feb. 12, 2008 ...The threat of malpractice, the decreasing time that family doctors can spend with each patient, the increasing complexity of the practice of medicine, and the expectation of patients to be referred have contributed to this problem... Legislators rethink state storm fund Miami Herald, FL - Feb. 12, 2008 ...Here's the rub for Florida residents: The bonds would be paid through surcharges on every insurance policy in the state, except medical malpractice and workers comp policies... Medical malpractice news
Malpractice rate break The Journal Gazette, Wayne, IN - Feb. 11, 2008 ...Indiana doctors are getting a break on payments to a state fund that covers the lion’s share of costs for larger malpractice judgments... Doctors dwindle in numbers The Enquirer, Cincinnati, OH - Feb. 11, 2008 ...Insurance companies acknowledge certain specialties have shortages, including dermatology. They say the reimbursements can depend on factors including the number of doctors, investments in new technology and malpractice rates... Editorial: Crisis in care: The doctor is out The Republican, Springfield, MA - Feb. 11, 2008 ...In addition, high malpractice insurance premiums and low reimbursement rates from the government and private insurers are a pain in the gluteus maximus for doctors who want to practice in Western Massachusetts... AMA's conflicted president In These Times, Chicago, IL - Feb. 11, 2008 ...While some Republicans have embraced medical malpractice reform as a virtual cure-all for America’s healthcare crisis, critics contend that putting caps on non-economic damages provides unjustified protections for hospitals, HMOs and insurance companies, another potential conflict of interest... Arbitration a growing trend in health care Philadelphia Inquirer, PA - Feb. 10, 2008 ...They were asked by two groups of suburban doctors to sign away their right to a jury trial in the interest of reducing malpractice costs... Editorial: To steer budget through political shoals, Gov. Rendell will need to trim sails The Morning Call, Allentown, PA - Feb. 10, 2008 ...While he still wants to tap a growing surplus in the physicians' medical malpractice insurance fund and new tobacco taxes to help pay for this, the focus has changed from covering all the uninsured to "reducing the number of uninsured." ... Lawmakers try to lure doctors to Wyoming Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, Cheyenne, WY - Feb. 10, 2008 ...lawmakers hope an incentive package that includes moving expenses, two years worth of malpractice insurance premiums and a signing bonus of up to $30,000 will make the state a more attractive option for medical professionals... Use of hospitalist programs gaining in popularity Greenwich Time, CT - Feb. 10, 2008 ...The challenge will be keeping up with supply and demand. Recruiting and retaining doctors is difficult, given the state's high cost of malpractice insurance and high cost of living... New bills aim to liberalize law on midwifery St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO (Associated Press) - Feb. 10, 2008 ...Doctors who deliver at home, or who work with lay midwives, face losing malpractice coverage and hospital privileges. And under current Missouri law, midwifery is a felony... Editorial: Universal health care done the right way Foster's Daily Democrat, Dover, NH - Feb. 10, 2008 ...Congress also needs to revisit tort reform which would rein in frivolous lawsuits, estimated to trim at least a few percentage points from malpractice insurance and rising health insurance costs... Maternity wards shuttered up north Concord Monitor, NH - Feb. 10, 2008 ...The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends that practicing obstetricians deliver at least 100 babies a year. According to Dr. Lars Nielsen, an obstetrician who is the medical director at Weeks, the hospital's malpractice insurance rates typically jump when it consistently delivers fewer than 100 infants a year... Medical malpractice news
Bill proposes removing limits for abortion lawsuits Columbia Missourian, MO - Feb. 8, 2008 ...Missouri’s current law imposes a $350,000 limit on non-economic damage awards in medical malpractice lawsuits. The bill, recently presented to the House Judiciary Committee, would exempt abortions from that limit... North Shore system launches doctor retention plan Long Island Business News, NY - Feb. 8, 2008 ...Because costs have been reduced, RRGs can offer lower malpractice insurance rates “as well as long-term stability in terms of coverage,” according to an internal newsletter... A more stable policy option St. Petersburg Times, FL - Feb. 8, 2008 ...The only lines exempt from assessments are medical malpractice and workers' compensation insurance... Editorial: Tort lawyers, ambulance chasers The Washington Times, DC - Feb. 8, 2008 ...significant risk to Americans' health posed by the inherently misleading Web sites of personal-injury lawyers looking to recruit new clients for medical-liability lawsuits... Editorial:Malpractice insurance needs tighter controls Star Bulletin, Honolulu, HI - Feb. 8, 2008 ...A better approach would be tightening insurance controls and empowering the state's Medical Claims Conciliation Panel to halt frivolous lawsuits before they reach court... Opinion - Carlos Muhletaler: Curbing frivolous lawsuits: Still much to be done in Florida Orlando Sentinel, FL - Feb. 8, 2008 ...Thanks to leadership in Tallahassee, meaningful medical malpractice reform was passed. Also, the state set reasonable standards for responsibility of fault... APCapital climbs 22 percent in '07 Lansing State Journal, MI - Feb. 8, 2008 Medical liability insurer American Physicians Capital Inc.'s profit grew 22 percent last year. The company reported Thursday it earned $52.8 million, or $4.82 per share, in 2007... Medical malpractice news
Fears of lawsuits drive out doctors Maui News, HI - Feb. 7, 2008 ...The fear of malpractice lawsuits has caused physicians to stop performing high-risk procedures and to quit volunteering for on-call emergency and trauma care duty, according to the HMA... Opinion - Bill English: Good intentions, wrong approach Alamogordo Daily News, NM - Feb. 7, 2007 ...It costs money for such things as office space, equipment, medicines, trained medical support staff and most importantly these days, medical malpractice insurance a necessity for any doctor in view of the general public's perchance for suing doctors at the drop of a hat... Components - Health American Chronicle, Beverly Hills, CA - Feb. 7, 2008 ...Many times tests are recommended more for the purpose of protecting the doctor against medical malpractice suits, rather than for their diagnostic value. This practice, which is called defensive medicine... Medical malpractice news
Access to care rises with punitive damages capped, AMA says Occupational Health & Safety, Skokie, IL - Feb. 6, 2008 ...The American Medical Association said yesterday its new analysis of independent research proves that capping punitive damages in medical malpractice cases both reduces doctors' malpractice insurance premiums and increases the number of physicians available ... Senators: We will continue to investigate insurance companies The Ledger, Lakeland, FL - Feb. 6, 2008 ...Atwater also contrasted the willingness of some property insurance companies to base their rates on short-term experience, while noting insurance companies that provide medical malpractice coverage say they cannot lower their rates based on a few years of declining malpractice claims... Plan to solve emergency room crisis reaches impasse TCPalm.com, Ft. Pierce, FL - Feb. 6, 2008 ...High-priced malpractice insurance and a fear of being sued have pushed doctors away. They also might not get paid for treating uninsured patients... Opinion - Megan McArdle: Question of the day The Atlantic, Washington, DC - Feb. 6, 2008 ...We've developed a medical culture that prizes exploring every remote possibility over common sense (except for primary care physicians, who get reimbursed for rushing patients through as quickly as possible). That probably wouldn't go away even if we had a better malpractice system... Did you know? Saline County Voice, Benton, AR - Feb. 5, 2008 ...Rising medical malpractice suits could become a big concern not only for physicians and policy makers, but the general public (i.e., prospective patients) as well. According to the Congressional Budget Office, premiums for medical malpractice rose by an average of 15 percent between 2000 and 2002... Opinion - Hawaii Medical Association: Doctors will stay in Hawaii if state Legislature implements tort reform bill Hawaii Reporter, Honolulu, HI - Feb. 5, 2008 ...The HMA supports these actions because they will help to stabilize now volatile medical malpractice insurance premiums... Med-mal damage caps are unconstitutional, suit says Southeast Texas Record, Beaumont, TX - Feb. 5, 2008 ...But one Texas lawyer says there is fourth, over-looked mistake continuing to violate the peoples' constitutional rights: medical-malpractice damage caps... Editorial: State can't deflect budget blame Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, WI - Feb. 5, 2008 ...The current state budget is propped up by: A $200 million raid on a medical malpractice fund that health providers pay into... Text of Gov. Ed Rendell's 2008-2009 budget address Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Feb. 5, 2008 ...And finally, the medical malpractice reforms enacted over the last four years are clearly working: the number of practicing physicians in Pennsylvania has remained stable; malpractice insurance rates are decreasing... State health care spending would rise Patriot-News, Harrisburg, PA - Feb. 5, 2008 ...and $122 million from a fund -- also funded largely with cigarette taxes -- that helps pay doctors' medical malpractice insurance... Medical malpractice news
Isle doctors lobby for tort reform Honolulu Star Bulletin, HI - Feb. 5, 2008 ...the first female obstetrician/gynecologist in private practice on Maui, said the rising price of medical malpractice insurance was one of the reasons why she has given up delivering babies... Opinion - John E. Bartimole: Medicaid cuts shouldn't masquerade as reforms The Buffalo News, NY - Feb. 5, 2008 ...Investment in our health care system is necessary for many critical purposes. The needs include: ... Meaningful medical liability reform to provide sensible compensation more promptly and to promote candid physician-patient communication... Opinion - Hugh B. Price and Oliver W. Sloman: Mobilize retired health professionals Post-Bulletin, Rochester, MN - Feb. 5, 2008 ...could a former cardiologist be of service? Would volunteers be obliged to carry malpractice insurance?... Editorial: Needed: More shore doctors The Daily Times, Salisbury, MD - Feb. 5, 2008 ...Maryland doctors receive 20 percent less in insurance reimbursements than the national average; malpractice premiums are high... Tennant Risk is purchased Hartford Courant, CT - Feb. 5, 2008 ...Tennant specializes in professional and management liability insurance, including errors and omissions, directors and officers, employment practices, architects and engineers, medical malpractice, and cyber liability... Editorial: Hospitals wise not to bill patients for medical errors Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, WA - Feb. 4, 2008 ...tearing up the bills for those who were hurt by errors is the right thing to do. People who are suffering physically should not have to suffer the indignity of being billed for the procedure that caused their pain. Medical malpractice news
'Philly girl' finds a second home Shelbyville Times-Gazette, TN - Feb. 4, 2008 ..."Pennsylvania is abysmal for OB-GYNs because of the outrageous costs of malpractice insurance and the third party payers," Crean said. "So many good doctors were leaving the state and going to practice elsewhere. I came to Tennessee on Memorial Day weekend in 2002... Fortune 500: The total cost of litigation estimated at one-third profits The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel (eLawForum), Mountainside, NJ - Feb. 4, 2008 ...eLawForum's database shows that different practice areas have very different ratios of liability to defense cost...In personal injury and product liability, four-to-one, and in medical malpractice as much as eight-to-one... Fear Factor - Medical professionals seek crisis indemnity New Orleans City Business, Metairie, LA - Feb. 4, 2008 ...Under the Medical Malpractice Law, damages are capped at $500,000 and paid through the Louisiana Patient Compensation Fund... Editorial: Changes needed in doctor regulation Appleton Post-Crescent, WI - Feb. 4, 2008 ...Their recommendations include legislation that allows the board to conduct national criminal background checks on new doctors who want to be licensed in the state; making the National Practitioner Data Base available to the public, so people can see every time a doctor is disciplined by a medical board, pays a malpractice claim... Editorial: Politics as usual in Columbus Salem News, Salem, OH - Feb. 4, 2008 ...Reasonable limits on medical malpractice claims, the type included in the 2003 legislation, are important for several reasons. Among them: Gigantic medical malpractice awards make health care more expensive for everyone... Doctor deficit plagues Shore The Daily Times, Salisbury, MD - Feb. 3, 2008 ...Maryland physicians receive more than 20 percent less in insurance reimbursements than the national average and malpractice premiums are high, he said... Health workers could more easily help in other states The Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City, UT - Feb. 2, 2008 A bill that would protect volunteer health care practitioners and make it easier for them to cross state lines to help in an emergency passed unanimously through the Senate on Friday... Medical malpractice news
Neurosurgeons scarce in Palm Beach County due to legal climate South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, FL - Feb. 1, 2008 ... Designed to weed out bad doctors, the law revokes their medical licenses after three malpractice judgments. But neurosurgeons such as Martin saw it as another blow to their profession... Plan to solve emergency room crisis reaches impasse South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, FL - Feb. 1, 2008 ...the Emergency Department Management Group, formed by the county's medical society to tackle the problem of specialists who shun the ER. High-priced malpractice insurance and a fear of being sued have pushed doctors away... Editorial: Medicine ball Philadelphia Daily News, PA - Feb. 1, 2008 ...It would be funded from a surplus in the medical-malpractice fund and by an additional tax on cigarettes, and a new one on smokeless tobacco... Opinion - Jay Angoff: Faulty forecasts - Maryland mistake shows why actuaries must be accountable Baltimore Sun, MD - Feb. 1, 2008 ...actuaries for Maryland's largest medical malpractice insurer, the Medical Mutual Liability Insurance Society, told the legislature and the insurance commissioner that its claims payments were increasing. It used these alleged increases to justify raising the company's rates... Opinion - Hugh B. Price: A new army for the war on childhood obesity The Modesto Bee, CA - Feb. 1, 2008 ...For instance, besides tapping pediatricians and family practitioners, could a former cardiologist be of service? Would volunteers be obliged to carry malpractice insurance?... |
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