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Archives
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State nursing homes trying to limit liability Nashville City Paper, TN - Mar. 31, 2008 ...In addition, language opposed by AARP was taken out of the bill that would have allowed nursing homes to require their patients to sign arbitration agreements to keep lawsuits out of the courtroom as well as requiring nursing home suits to have the same legal restrictions as medical malpractice claims... Opinion - Christopher R. Anderson: Righting healthcare reform in Massachusetts The Boston Globe, MA - Mar. 31, 2008 ...A much better idea would be to reform the state's medical malpractice laws. Creating a system that minimizes frivolous lawsuits and provides protections to doctors would greatly stabilize skyrocketing malpractice premiums, which are driving many good doctors out of state... Opinion - David Grazter, Paul Howard: Mandates are not the answer City Journal, New York, NY - Mar. 31, 2008 ...Combined with medical malpractice reform and repeal of state regulations limiting the availability of inexpensive retail-care clinics, these reforms would help lower prices and give consumers greater access to basic and preventive care... Opinion - Jane Ann Morrison: With some prodding, medical boards start to see light about records Las Vegas Review-Journal, NV - Mar. 31, 2008 ...In July, I pounded the Board of Medical Examiners for removing information about malpractice settlements and judgments from its Web site... Insurers send more patients packing Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA (Bloomberg News) - Mar. 30, 2008 ...Insurers are concerned about the quality of foreign hospitals and doctors, the safety of the blood supply and legal recourse in case of malpractice... Legislature: Hold doctors accountable, open up process The Topeka Capital-Journal, KS - Mar. 30, 2008 ...Confidence in the board isn't helped when portions of the agency's disciplinary orders are kept secret or when records of malpractice cases against doctors are kept confidential, Davis said... Budget talks continue with few deals made The Ithaca Journal, NY - Mar. 30, 2008 ...Lawmakers worked Saturday to hammer out details of a new state budget, but they failed to reach agreements on areas like spending for higher education and reducing medical-malpractice insurance premiums, and complained they don’t have enough money to meet their needs... Finding a cure for the cost of care The News Journal, Wilmington, DE - Mar. 30, 2008 ...Pennsylvania's proposed plan to cover 270,000 people -- about one-fifth of its uninsured population -- by 2012-13 has a price tag of $1.1 billion. The state expects to pay for it through a combination of monthly premiums, federal Medicaid dollars, tobacco settlement money and money from its medical malpractice insurance fund... Opinion - Larry Daughtrey: When it's time to choose sides, lawmakers waffle and delay The Tennessean, Nashville, TN - Mar. 30, 2008 ...Doctors, insurance companies and plaintiff lawyers have been squabbling for two decades over the details of medical malpractice litigation. The doctors have become reliable sources of money for Republicans, the lawyers for Democrats... Health care cost trends still cause for concern Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, NY - Mar. 30, 2008 ...Our litigious society has driven up malpractice insurance rates for doctors and prompted them to practice "defensive medicine," Archibald said, meaning they order all sorts of high-priced exams and procedures -- many unneeded... Telemedicine has global reach The Galveston County Daily News, TX - Mar. 30, 2008 ...Besides convincing insurance companies, telemedicine advocates will have to ease fears about malpractice liability and licensure problems... Health care-malpractice legislative dispute goes on Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA - Mar. 29, 2008 ...Faced with a Monday deadline, Senate Republican leaders yesterday called on House leaders to consider legislation that would extend for another year a program that reduces doctors' costs for malpractice insurance... Insurance subsidy for docs set to end Monday The Times-Tribune, Scranton, PA - Mar. 29, 2008 ...The dispute means that Pennsylvania doctors will have to make malpractice payments Monday with no state-subsidized abatement to ease the sting... Pennsylvania doctors decry med-mal premium halt Pittsburgh Business Times, PA - Mar. 28, 2008 Gov. Ed Rendell's decision to stop paying malpractice insurance premiums would create a hardship for doctors, the president of the Allegheny County Medical Society said Friday... To err is human, not on insurers' dime anymore Northern Colorado Business Report, Fort Collins, CO - Mar. 28, 2008 ...those days are coming to an end, at least for those insured by Medicare, on Oct. 1. That's when new rules adopted by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to deny payment for eight specific events that can happen within a hospital setting go into effect... Medical malpractice news
CMC-Moses deal dead The Times-Tribune, Scranton, PA - Mar. 28, 2008 ...Without a deal, the facilities face a daunting array of budget-busting operational challenges solo. They include ever-lower Medicaid and Medicare payments, possible shortages of doctors and nurses, rising malpractice insurance rates, aging facilities and stiff competition from a variety of outpatient service providers... Abington Hospital starts mediation effort The Intelligencer, Doylestown, PA - Mar. 28, 2008 In an effort to reduce lawsuits related to medical liability, a pilot mediation program involving both doctors and lawyers has been established at Abington Memorial Hospital... Rx for health costs: prevention The Post-Standard, Syracuse, NY - Mar. 28, 2008 ...There are many hidden costs "cooked" into the health care system, according Dennison. They include medical malpractice costs and excessive profits by health insurers, drug companies and doctors... Firms sick of health care costs Times Union, Albany, NY - Mar. 28, 2008 ...To that you can add expensive medications; expensive tests and imaging, such as CT and MRI (which doctors are increasingly relying on); lawsuits and the high cost of malpractice insurance... Staffing cuts weighed for nursing homes Miami Herald, FL - Mar. 28, 2008 ...Sen. Durell Peaden, a Crestview Republican in charge of writing the Senate's healthcare budget, called the staffing requirements "sacred" and said they had worked in keeping "malpractice down."... Opinion - Daniel Weintraub: This board needs an adjustment Press-Telegram, Long Beach, CA - Mar. 28, 2008 ...The auditors also questioned the board's handling of malpractice settlements. When the board receives notification of such a matter, it typically contacts the plaintiffs in the case... Editorial: Physicians ask too much The Star-Ledger, Newark, NJ - Mar. 27, 2008 ...Now with MIIX, which hasn't written policies since 2002 and is on the verge of disappearing, physicians who were clients worry that $300,000 won't cover the judgments that get handed out in malpractice cases... Program launched to mediate malpractice claims at hospital Philadelphia Business Journal, PA - Mar. 27, 2007 ...Since then, they have been exploring mediation as an alternative to litigation in cases of potential medical liability... Medical malpractice news
Docs' malpractice plan hinges on coverage plea The Times-Tribune, Scranton, PA - Mar. 27, 2008 ...They say they’ll let MCare — a popular temporary state program that helps doctors buy medical malpractice coverage — expire Monday if the senators don’t take up the issue. MCare was created in 2003 when skyrocketing insurance rates led doctors to leave Pennsylvania... LCB head's law firm does $5.7 million in Pa. business Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA - Mar. 27, 2008 ...Mr. Ardo said Mr. Stapleton has handled lawsuits involving the state police and the state's Mcare medical malpractice insurance program. He has defended doctors and other medical care providers sued over malpractice claims... Panel identifies 21 ways to improve how NY educates its doctors The Business Review, Albany, NY - Mar. 26, 2008 ...investments in the medical education infrastructure and pipeline necessary to support biomedical and clinical research; and medical liability reforms to reduce the high cost of medical malpractice insurance in the state. Medical malpractice news
Chiropractors' scope of practice before top state court Asbury Park Press, NJ - Mar. 26, 2008 ...She lost in the Superior Court but won a reversal in the state appellate division, on the grounds that adjusting her knee was technically "malpractice" since a 1953 state law pretty much restricts chiropractors to spinal work... Audit finds violations by state chiropractice board Sacramento Bee, CA - Mar. 26, 2008 ...It found that when the board got notification of a malpractice settlement against a chiropractor, it made little effort to find out what happened or whether the doctor should be disciplined... Editorial: House, Senate surplus too much like slush fund Erie Times-News, PA - Mar. 26, 2008 ...the commission's chairman, proposed sending the millions back into the general operating budget to help pay for a House bill's provision to provide health insurance to more Pennsylvanians... Opinion - Benjamin Brewer, M.D.: Primary health care needs fixing before universal care can work The Wall Street Journal, Mar. 26, 2008 ...The cost of malpractice insurance to practice the full range of primary care medicine, including obstetrics, is untenable for most... Opinion - Dr. Wayne Willis: A hope note The Corydon Democrat, IN - Mar. 26, 2008 ...He speculates that the non-responders may be wondering how they will manage to get through the maze of restrictions on medical practice that day, or how to avoid malpractice, or how to get approval for a procedure a patient definitely needs but may be subjected to some loophole that disallows it... New York consumer groups criticize medical malpractice plan Insurance Journal, CA - Mar. 25, 2008 ...The budding controversy comes amidst a significant annual leap -- roughly 14 percent -- in malpractice premiums in New York State, a trend that many doctors groups charge has forced doctors to retire early, or pack up and head elsewhere... Medical malpractice news
Senate to mull health bill The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA - Mar. 25, 2008 ...It also calls for the phasing out of MCare, a state insurance program that provides doctors with catastrophic coverage for medical malpractice... Editorial: Help finance broader access to health care The Daily & Sunday Review, Towanda, PA - Mar. 25, 2008 ...Since then, the malpractice insurance market has improved. In 2007 the state-operated malpractice fund’s payouts were about half of the 2003 total, and private-industry premium rates have flattened or declined... Editorial: Coverage for Pennsylvanians is important, but let's see a plan that spells out financing The Patriot-News, Harrisburg, PA - Mar. 25, 2008 ...Estimated to cost $479 million in the first year alone, the state-subsidized health insurance plan relies heavily on projected surpluses from a state fund that helps cover physicians' medical malpractice costs. That's a questionable source of funding to begin with... Battle erupts over insurance plan for MDs The New York Sun, NY - Mar. 25, 2008 A coalition of groups aligned with trial lawyers is denouncing a possible remedy to New York's medical malpractice insurance crisis: a state-sponsored indemnity fund that would pay the future medical bills of injured patients... Angry public, hopeful leaders Las Vegas Sun, NV - Mar. 25, 2008 ...For example, in 2005 the medical board decided to stop posting doctors’ malpractice settlements on its Web site. Two weeks ago Buckley sent the medical board a letter asking it to post the information. If it doesn’t, future legislation will require it, she said... Medical malpractice news
Nevada medical board considers adding doctor information online KRNV News 4, Reno, NV (Associated Press) - Mar. 24, 2008 ...in 2005, the board removed malpractice settlement and judgment information from doctors' online records and voted against other recommendations for improving the site. Clark says the board now plans to reconsider the reforms it rejected three years ago... Medical board's Web site tells less public data than ever Reno Gazette-Journal, NV - Mar. 24, 2008 ..."I'm assuming the board will vote to put the malpractice data back (online), and perhaps include the educational information, as well," he said. One lawmaker said the board's change of heart is overdue... Opinion - Jane Ann Morrison: Gibbons throws good doctor under bus to score political points Las Vegas Review-Journal, NV - Mar. 24, 2008 ...Doctors created the insurance company in 2002 after a major medical malpractice carrier pulled out of Nevada, making it difficult for doctors to find insurers... Opinion - Augusto Lopez-Torres: Frivolous lawsuits hurt patient and doctor South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, FL - Mar. 24, 2008 ...Unfortunately, Florida law does little to protect doctors from frivolous malpractice claims. For example, the court's lenient standard for "expert witness" testimony allows personal injury lawyers to fraudulently substantiate bogus lawsuits... Rendell discusses importance of insurance regulation reform The Citizens Voice, Wilkes-Barre, PA - Mar. 23, 2008 ...Doctors should find a 10-year extension of the malpractice subsidy preferable to living with a year-by-year renewal and they will get higher reimbursement rates for Medicaid care as well, Rendell said... Medical malpractice news
Before firing bad patients, doctors turn to lawyers Boston Business Journal, MA - Mar. 21, 2008 ...A lack of standardized policies and an increasingly litigious culture have combined to make doctors wary of abandonment claims and medical malpractice lawsuits, according to local health care lawyers, who say that in recent years they have fielded more inquiries from doctors and health care organizations about the best way to terminate a doctor-patient relationship... Campaign ads overstate state Supreme Court's role on crime Appleton Post-Crescent, MN - Mar. 21, 2008 ...Business groups have been angered by recent rulings that overturned the state's cap on medical malpractice damages, opened up paint companies to liability for lead poisoning and made it easier for plaintiffs to receive punitive damages... Letter: Doctor quits insurer Las Vegas Review-Journal, NV - Mar. 21, 2008 Members of the Nevada Board of Medical Examiners received notice Thursday that fellow board member Dr. Daniel McBride was stepping down as chairman of a malpractice insurance company, a position that some suggested posed a conflict of interest with his board post... Nursing home malpractice insurance void reported in Oklahoma Insurance Journal, CA (Associated Press) - Mar. 21, 2008 A Tulsa-based consumer group says many Oklahoma nursing homes appear to be operating without malpractice insurance... Medical malpractice news
N.J. doctors left at risk after insurer shutdown Courier Post, Cherry Hill, NJ (Associated Press) - Mar. 20, 2008 Dozens of New Jersey doctors could soon be personally liable for settlement payouts now that state officials have declared insolvent what once was the state's largest malpractice insurance company... 5 years later, Ohio has falling insurance rates; fewer obstetricians Insurance Journal, CA (Associated Press) - Mar. 20, 2008 Five years after a law trying to reduce the malpractice rates went into effect, Ohio has fewer doctors who deliver babies than at the height of protests about high costs... Editorial: Face the real cost of insuring the uninusured The Morning Call, Allentown, PA - Mar. 20, 2008 ...Mcare has helped to stanch the flood of doctors leaving Pennsylvania because of high malpractice insurance costs -- 1,632 doctors between 2004 and 2006. It doesn't make sense to improve one part of the health care system at the expense of another... Editorial: Legislaticide The Pueblo Chieftan, CO - Mar. 20, 2008 ...SB164 is an attempt to feather the nest of tort lawyers in medical malpractice lawsuits. It would remove physical impairment or disfigurement from a damages cap... Public files shine light on doctors The Charlotte Observer, NC - Mar. 20, 2008 ...Thanks to a recent amendment to state law, the Web site will soon also show whether N.C. doctors have paid to settle malpractice claims... Opinion - Dr. Tom Saddoris:OHSU needs to stop the blame game, promise safer procedures Beaverton Valley Times, OR - Mar. 20, 2008 ...The Legislature several years ago described OHSU as a public agency and since then the hospital has been protected under the state’s tort claims act. If a patient at OHSU is negligently injured and his or her life is ruined, the person cannot recover the costs to pay for the injuries... Medical malpractice news
Rendell promotes health plan The Patriot-News, Harrisburg, PA - Mar. 19, 2008 ...A major funding source would be the surplus in a fund called Mcare, which helps pay doctors' medical malpractice costs. If the plan is approved, legislators would have to find an additional $120 million... Rendel supports 'landmark' bill on health insurance Observer-Reporter, Washington, PA (Associated Press) - Mar. 19, 2008 ...As the state phases out its medical malpractice subsidy for doctors and health-care facilities over the next decade, the program could draw in enough money to cover more of the half-million adults who are eligible for the program, Rendell said... N.J. insurer's demise leaves many doctors in bad shape The Star-Ledger, NJ - Mar. 19, 2008 ...The issue arose because the Department of Banking and Insurance Feb. 8 moved to sell off the remaining assets of the Medical Inter-Insurance Exchange (MIIX), an insurance firm created in 1977. It has been in a state of slow-motion bankruptcy for the past six years... Bill makes it easier for doctors to apologize The Providence Journal, RI - Mar. 19, 2008 ...a growing consortium of physicians around the country has come to believe that apologies help stem patient frustrations and could actually limit the number of lawsuits that force malpractice insurance to rise and make health care more expensive for everyone... How can errors be found before surgery begins? Star-Tribune, Minneapolis, MN - Mar. 19, 2008 ...Patient safety experts say they are just beginning to realize that correcting such upstream mistakes in medical records will be critically important in eliminating wrong-site surgeries. But those fixes will be far more complicated and difficult to implement than safety protocols that primarily focus on operating rooms just before surgery... Medical malpractice news
Subsidized-insurance plan advances The Patriot-News, Harrisburg, PA - Mar. 18, 2008 ...The plan is expected to cost $479 million during the first year. Money would come from several sources, including the surplus in a fund that helps pay doctors' medical malpractice insurance costs, and contributions from the state's four Blue Cross-Blue Shield plans... House passes bill to cover uninsured adults The Morning Call, Allentown, PA (Associated Press) - Mar. 18, 2008 ...The cost of the program, expected to reach $1.1 billion by 2012-13, also was targeted by critics. It would be funded with a combination of premiums, federal Medicaid dollars, tobacco settlement money and by dipping into the medical malpractice insurance fund... House OKs health care bill, but fate in the Senate is in doubt Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA - Mar. 18, 2008 ...The plan also would phase out MCare, a state insurance program that provides doctors with catastrophic coverage for medical malpractice, and retire the program's $2 billion unfunded liability, or cost of future claims... State senators push for health plan approval The Bulletin, Philadelphia, PA - Mar. 18, 2008 ...Much of the revenue that would pay for these increased subsidies would come from a surplus in the state's MCare (Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error) fund, which assists doctors in affording medical liability insurance. The Pennsylvania Medical Society, a doctors' advocacy group, has expressed concern that PA ABC as currently structured would jeopardize the fiscal state of MCare... Opinion - Steve Reznick, M.D.: System needs to separate frivolous medical malpractice cases from worthy South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, FL - Mar. 18, 2008 ...Medical malpractice has become a billion-dollar industry in Florida, with everyone from records clerks, insurance adjustors, nurses hired to read and review charts, mediators and their staffs, out-of-state doctors looking to supplement their income... Reaction to death of tort reform bill KHNL News 8, Honolulu, HI - Mar. 17, 2008 ...Folks we talked to in Kailua pretty much said the same opinion. They're upset the tort reform bill died and plan to hold lawmakers accountable... Some Nevada lawmakers seek review of malpractice caps after scare KOLO 8 News, Reno, NV (Associated Press) - Mar. 17, 2008 ...While most support the caps - which limit awards to $350,000 for pain and suffering - some key lawmakers said they would support reinstating exemptions for gross negligence or extreme cases... Medical malpractice news
Editorial: Covering the uninsured Philadelphia Inquirer, PA - Mar. 17, 2008 ...Doctors would get a helping hand, as well, through continued state assistance in buying malpractice insurance... This week in the Legislature The Gazette, Colorado Springs, CO - Mar. 17, 2008 ..The Senate could take up final debate on a bill that would raise the caps on malpractice lawsuit awards for disfigurement and impairment... Colorado delays action on bill to raise limits for malpractice suits Insurance Journal, CA (Associated Press) - Mar. 17, 2008 A Colorado House committee delayed action on a bill that would increase the amount juries can award in some medical malpractice suits after doctors warned it could force them to stop practicing and make health care more expensive... Business buzz: Firm says boomers will test health care Herald Tribune, Sarasota, FL - Mar. 17, 2008 ...It also calls for tort reform, translated to replacing traditional medical malpractice system with health care courts, akin to the workers' compensation arbitration system... Some rethink malpractice cap Reno Gazette-Journal, NV - Mar. 17, 2008 ...Now, an unprecedented health scare linked to unsafe practices in surgical centers across Nevada has gripped the state, prompting some lawmakers and lawyers to call for a review of the punitive damages cap... Public health crisis: Shake-up hits medical board Las Vegas Review Journal, NV - Mar. 17, 2008 ...More than 100 former patients of the clinic believe they contracted potentially fatal infections because of the center's shoddy medical practices, according to several Las Vegas trial lawyers... 2 of state's uninsured die each day, group says Patriot-News, Harrisburg, PA - Mar. 16, 2008 ...Money would come from sources including federal funds, money contributed by the state's four Blue Cross-Blue Shield plans, and the surplus from a cigarette tax-supported fund that helps pay doctors' medical malpractice costs... Editorial: Don't operate without tests Altoona Mirror, PA - Mar. 16, 2008 ...We expect our doctors to act responsibly. We should demand our legislators operate in the same manner. Table action on SB 1173 until we know what to expect... Surgeons across the U.S. waning Parkersburg News and Sentinel, WV - Mar. 16, 2008 ...Recruiting surgeons has been easier in recent years since the medical tort reforms were adopted by the West Virginia Legislature five years ago, King said. Malpractice insurance premiums are beginning to parallel the rates charged in bordering states, he said... Editorial: David Paterson's Long Island to-do list...Malpractice Newsday, NY - Mar. 16, 2008 ...The state needs nuanced reforms that reflect the concerns of consumers, insurance companies, doctors and patients harmed as a result of negligent care. It's a tall order... Medical liability reform bill killed The Honolulu Advertiser, HI - Mar. 15, 2008 The state House yesterday effectively killed a medical-malpractice liability reform bill, as lawmakers contended it was not the answer to the state's shortage of medical specialists in rural areas and on the Neighbor Islands... House revives tort reform Star Bulletin, Honolulu, HI - Mar. 15, 2008 ...The move to recommit promoted some argument, mostly by Republicans, but also from at least one Democrat who argued that the debate over tort reform should be done in the open so the public can see where lawmakers stand on the issue... Medical liability reform bill passes through Health Committee only to be 'killed' on House floor Hawaii Reporter, Honolulu, HI - Mar. 14, 2008 On Wed., March 12, the House Health Committee voted 7-3 to amend a Senate bill to include medical liability reform. Today, the House floor recommitted it to the Health Committee rather than allowing it to move on to the next committee, essentially killing the bill for this year’s session... Medical malpractice news
Pennsylvania House poised to pass health plan Philadelphia Inquirer, PA - Mar. 14, 2008 ...The bill, which passed a crucial 114-81 vote Wednesday night on its second reading, also would extend malpractice-insurance subsidies by 10 years in an effort to keep doctors from leaving the state because of high premiums... Editorial: Malpractice and apologies The Milford Daily News, MA - Mar. 14, 2008 ...One bill, sponsored by Sen. Robert O'Leary, D-Barnstable, would simply declare physician apologies inadmissible in a malpractice suit. The patients could still sue, but a sincere apology wouldn't come into play one way or the other... Medical malpractice news
State House votes for Dem's health plan for uninsured adults The Bulletin, Philadelphia (Associated Press) - Mar. 13, 2008 ...Funding would come from the federal Medicaid program, premiums paid by the people who are covered, tobacco settlement money currently used for the state's existing health insurance subsidy for adults, and money that helps doctors pay medical malpractice insurance premiums... Health care proposal moves ahead in House Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA - Mar. 13, 2008 ...and part of a $500 million state fund that helps doctors pay their malpractice insurance costs. But the plan also would require at least another $120 million in the first year... Opinion - Dr. Michael Lynch: Cost of malpractice insurance forcing doctors to leave high-risk specialties Concord Monitor, NH - Mar. 13, 2008 ...In New Hampshire, many physicians are leaving as malpractice insurance costs soar. Specialty physicians have experienced a 50 percent increase in premiums from five years ago... Doctors' on-call ER pay renewed Palm Beach Post, West Palm Beach, FL - Mar. 13, 2008 ...But as concerns over malpractice have intensified and as doctors are called to treat more uninsured patients, physicians in South Florida and elsewhere have begun to avoid being on call ... Medical malpractice bill hits a wall Denver Business Journal, CO - Mar. 12, 2008 The co-sponsor of a proposal that would raise the caps on medical malpractice lawsuits said Wednesday he would ask the House Judiciary Committee to delay a vote on the bill to work out some issues that doctors raised about the legislation... Medical malpractice news
Plan to cover uninsured adults gets debated in Pa. House The Patriot-News, Harrisburg, PA (Associated Press) - Mar. 12, 2008 ...Debate got under way Wednesday in the chamber on dozens of amendments, most of them offered by Republicans opposed to using a medical malpractice fund to pay some of the cost... Study: Pa.'s tort system nearly the worst The Bulletin, Philadelphia, PA - Mar. 12, 2008 ...One measure the commonwealth has taken to reduce the costs of medical tort liability has been assisting doctors with the purchase of medical malpractice insurance. But Dr. McQuillan characterized that as passing the cost of a tort crisis on to the taxpayers... Cost of health hurting business Worcester Telegram & Gazette News, MA - Mar. 12, 2008 ...The galloping increases in health care costs are due for discussion today in Boston when the Legislature convenes hearings on bills aimed at addressing issues such as electronic health records and medical malpractice... Medical society warns of 'unintended consequences' Worcester Business Journal, MA - Mar. 12, 2008 ...But the society also said the bill as it's currently drafted could have unintended consequences for hospital workforces, technology, professional liability, medical malpractice and with regard to gifts to physicians... Bill that raises malpractice suit limits falls on hard times The Denver Post, CO - Mar. 12, 2008 ...it could die today as two Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee seem unwilling to support the plan amid an opposition campaign to paint the bill as a "payback" for trial lawyers... Editorial: Medical alert The Pueblo Chieftan, CO - Mar. 12, 2008 ...We hope SB164 is killed in committee. But if it survives and goes to the full House, we strongly urge Pueblo-area legislators to oppose it for what it would do... Editorial: Malpractice bill should be nixed The Denver Post, CO - Mar. 11, 2008 ...The Post is opposed to Senate Bill 164, which could lead to higher premiums on malpractice insurance and possibly reduce health care services in already underserved rural areas... Report urges changes to medical malpractice system WPRI-TV, Providence, RI (Associated Press) - Mar. 11, 2008 ...The findings released by Uxbridge State Sen. Richard Moore's office recommend a malpractice system based on early disclosure to patients, followed by an apology and an offer of compensation... Medical malpractice news
House Democrats outline health care plan Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA - Mar. 11, 2008 ...Like the governor, House Democrats would fund their proposal in part from contributions from employers and individuals and transfers from existing programs. They also would draw on a $500 million state fund that helps doctors pay their malpractice insurance costs... House OKs smaller budget Star Bulletin, Honolulu, HI - Mar. 11, 2008 ...As one example, Meyer said the state could potentially save millions by enacting some type of medical malpractice or tort reform. Although the issue has been raised repeatedly, the legislation has traditionally died in committee... State's pool of doctors is shrinking The Bulletin, Philadelphia, PA - Mar. 11, 2008 ...Mr. Rendell has opposed such measures, arguing that litigants' access to legal redress should not be limited. Last year, he declared the medical malpractice crisis in Pennsylvania "over." ... Doctors: Litigation by smokers would worsen tort predicament The Bulletin, Philadelphia, PA - Mar. 11, 2008 ...Attempts to institute tort reforms such as caps on lawyers' contingency fees and limits on damage awards do not, he said, amount to an opposition to lawsuits brought when genuine malpractice has occurred... Editorial: Doctor shortage Bradenton Herald, FL - Mar. 11, 2008 ...We urge you to contact our state lawmakers to sound the alarm and to request meaningful tort reform, more medical educational programs and adjustments in Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates... Opinion: Gary M Cohen: Insurance industry, not legal system, is what's hurting doctors South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, FL - Mar. 11, 2008 ...As a result of lawsuits like Mary Stone's, several of the local hospitals have now hired the neurosurgeons to take ER calls, agreeing to compensate them for their time and provide medical malpractice insurance coverage... American Physicians Service Group profit jumps in Q4 Austin Business Journal, TX - Mar. 10, 2008 ...APS is an insurance and financial services firm whose subsidiaries and affiliates provide medical malpractice insurance for doctors, and brokerage and investment services to institutions and high-net-worth individuals... Proxy firm recommends SCPIE acquisition Houston Chronicle, TX (Associated Press) - Mar. 10, 2008 ...Under the agreement, Doctors, a physician-owned medical malpractice carrier, will buy SCPIE for $28 per share in cash. The company valued the total purchase price at $281 million... Medical malpractice news
Cooper discusses Rendell's health-care plan The Bulletin, Philadelphia, PA - Mar. 10, 2008 ...Ms. Cooper said that the best way to better the situation is to support Mr. Rendell's Cover All Pennsylvanians (CAP) plan, which would allow Pennsylvania employers to acquire state-provided insurance by charging them and their employees premiums and paying the rest of the cost from increased tobacco taxes and money from a state medical malpractice insurance fund... Malpractice increases may worsen physician shortages The Press Republican, Plattsburgh, NY - Mar. 10, 2008 Talks of increasing malpractice charges for New York physicians have area doctors concerned that the move would add to a growing physician shortage in the state... Incentives for doctors OK'd Billings Gazette, MT - Mar. 10, 2008 The incentive package would include moving expenses, two years worth of medical malpractice insurance premiums and a signing bonus of up to $30,000... Editorial: Legislators should stop doctors' exodus Star Bulletin, Honolulu, HI - Mar. 10, 2008 ...Opponents of limiting noneconomic damage awards have produced nothing substantial to avoid a doctor drain caused by rises in malpractice insurance premiums... Mediation could speed up process Edwardsville Intelligencer, IL - Mar. 10, 2008 With a new mediation rule in place now for Madison County, every civil case under $50,000 dollars will go to arbitration and every medical malpractice and nursing home case will go to mediation... Opinion - Phil Galewitz: Lifting the shield on medical mistakes Palm Beach Post, West Palm Beach, FL - Mar. 10, 2008 ...The hospital industry, which is weighing whether to take the Constitutional amendment issue to the U.S. Supreme Court, said only patients involved in malpractice cases are eligible for the information with a court’s permission... Editorial: Senior care needs reform, not legal limits The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro, TN - Mar. 10, 2008 ...Putting a cap on nursing home damages does nothing but protect the nursing home industry. Tennessee needs new concepts, and the governor's proposal is a good start... Pa. House to debate health-plan expansion Philadelphia Inquirer, PA (Associated Press) - Mar. 9, 2008 ...In December, Rendell proposed using part of a surplus from a state fund that helps doctors and hospitals pay for medical-malpractice insurance as another funding source for his plan - and threatened to withhold the medical-malpractice aid to force legislative action on it... Editorial: The sharks can smell the blood Las Vegas Review Journal, NV - Mar. 9, 2008 ...Hundreds of careful, compassionate physicians are still working in Nevada because their malpractice insurance rates have stabilized as a result of this cap... Medical malpractice news
Group predicts doctor shortage The Times-Tribune, Scranton, PA - Mar. 7, 2008 Pennsylvania is already lacking a variety of physicians and missing recruiting targets, but the state will become critically short if more isn’t done to attract, train, compensate and provide affordable malpractice insurance to doctors... Lawmakers dissect COPIC Denver Business Journal, CO - Mar. 7, 2008 ...Recently, COPIC's high reserves and surpluses have raised the ire of trial lawyers trying to convince lawmakers that lifting caps on medical malpractice claims should have little or no bearing on medical malpractice insurance premiums... N.C. insurer to pay dividend The News & Observer, Raleigh, NC - Mar. 7, 2008 ...The state's largest medical malpractice insurer says that fewer lawsuits filed against doctors will allow it to pay its policyholders a $3 million dividend -- its first dividend ever... Tort reform remark brings retort from Lingle Star Bulletin, Honolulu, HI - Mar. 7, 2008 ...The issue focuses on legislation that would reduce doctors' medical malpractice premiums and also set limits on "noneconomic damages," such as pain and suffering, that can be awarded in a malpractice case... Malpractice costs cause a ripple effect Long Island Business News, NY - Mar. 7, 2008 ..."Years ago, [midwives] were cost effective because our malpractice was so low that more doctors would have midwives in their office. Now they look for nurse practitioners (with similar abilities)," she said, because their malpractice rates are lower... Editorial: Creative ways to cut medical costs in state The Enterprise, Brockton, MA - Mar. 7, 2008 ...Other parts of the bill would set up a center to recruit primary care providers to undeserved areas, expand primary care programs at UMass Medical School and investigate the high costs of medical malpractice coverage... Hospitals lose fight over rights of patients Herald Tribune, Sarasota, FL (Associated Press) - Mar. 7, 2008 ...The amendment was one of three citizen initiatives dealing with medical malpractice adopted in 2004. Another, also advocated by trial lawyers, bars doctors with three malpractice judgments from practicing. The third measure, promoted by the Florida Medical Association, limits how much lawyers can collect in fees... Medical malpractice news
Psychiatric care center to open in Harrisburg The Daily Collegian, State College, PA - Mar. 6, 2008 ...Pennsylvania has a "hostile environment" in terms of medical malpractice, especially in Philadelphia, said Dr. K. William Hylbert, medical director of mental health at Mount Nittany Medical Center. "We need more rural psychiatrists," he said... Health secretary touts Rendell health initiative The Herald, Sharon, PA - Mar. 6, 2008 Another funding source would be surplus cash from the state’s Mcare abatement program, which is used to reduce doctors’ out-of-pocket costs for medical malpractice coverage. There is a surplus because of the state’s improving medical malpractice climate, Johnson said... Touring state health secretary pushes coverage for uninsured Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA - Mar. 6, 2008 ...and the existing 28-cent cigarette tax in the Health Care Retainer Fund created to offset malpractice suits. "All of this adds up to provide uninsured Pennsylvanians with the funding," he said... Hospital board forms group to work on improving health care Sierra Vista Herald, AZ - Mar. 6, 2008 ...High malpractice insurance premiums discourage doctors from practicing in Arizona... Opinion - Mike Bandy, Local 328 AFSCME: Tort cap liability needed fix Lake Oswego Review, OR - Mar. 6, 2008 ...Beyond that, the task force should have one simple goal: new tort cap legislation that’s ready for Day 1 of the 2009 Oregon Legislature. Medical malpractice news
Albany protest might have effect Staten Island Advance, NY - Mar. 5, 2008 ...A task force appointed by Gov. Eliot Spitzer was considering such a levy to solve the state's medical malpractice insurance funding woes. By law, doctors can be surcharged to make up deficits to pay medical malpractice claims... Spitzer to unveil plan to lower malpractice costs Newsday, Melville, NY - Mar. 5, 2008 ...Like workers' compensation, changes to medical malpractice have been stymied for decades under Democratic and Republican governors. But Spitzer vowed to get something done... Tips offered on preventing medical errors The Patriot-News, Harrisburg, PA - Mar. 5, 2008 ...The authority was created in 2002 as part of a broad Pennsylvania effort to improve patient safety and lower medical malpractice costs for doctors and hospitals... Editorial: Bad medicine The Pueblo Chieftan, CO - Mar. 5, 2008 ...This bill is a darling of the trial lawyers who stand to gain more in contingency fees when they can sue for higher amounts. Now that Democrats control the Legislature, the tort attorneys hope to undo past years of lawsuit reforms... Court to weigh medical malpractice limits The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, MS - Mar. 5, 2008 The Mississippi Supreme Court will consider a federal appeals panel's request to clarify when the clock starts ticking on the filing of certain medical malpractice claims... Health care plan at a glance Bershire Eagle, MA (Associated Press) - Mar. 5, 2008 ...Launch a study to investigate the high costs of medical malpractice coverage for health care providers... Medical malpractice news
Doctor-lawyer project tackles malpractice Philadelphia Inquirer, PA - Mar. 4, 2008 ...Members of the county's bar association and medical society, along with Abington Memorial Hospital, today are launching a pilot project they hope will keep more malpractice disputes out of court... Rally for malpractice insurance reform set for today in Albany Staten Island Advance, NY - Mar. 4, 2008 Over 120 physicians from Staten Island will join more than 1,500 of their colleagues from across the state today at a symposium in Albany to voice their concerns over New York state's excessive medical malpractice rates... Editorial: New York must fix malpractice insurance problem Newsday, Melville, NY - Mar. 4, 2008 ...Clearly, something's got to give. Otherwise physicians will leave the state and patients will have a hard time finding doctors - and not just for one day. Senate backs raising malpractice cap The Longmont Times-Call, CO - Mar. 4, 2008 ...Senate Bill 164 applies to cases where someone has been disfigured or impaired. It would allow them to sue for up to $1 million in damages, or more if the judge allows... Bill would raise cap on pain and suffering malpractice lawsuits The Tribune, Greeley, CO - Mar. 4, 2008 ...The bill would allow patients to sue doctors for up to $500,000 for pain and suffering. It passed despite calls from doctors and insurers that the bill will significantly raise insurance rates for physicians... Mediation now mandatory in Madison County nursing home malpractice cases Belleville News-Democrat, IL - Mar. 4, 2008 ...With recent approval by the Illinois Supreme Court, Madison County will be the first to include mandatory mediation in nursing home malpractice cases... Medical malpractice news
Lawyer relishes health post - and 'strategic, visionary' role Philadelphia Inquirer, PA - Mar. 3, 2008 ... I can say that not all lawyers are bad. And that there are things . . . that have very positively happened here as a result of malpractice cases. We don't hide from it.... Opinion - Sen. Judd Gregg: Democrats, lawyers put hurt on mothers, doctors Concord Monitor, NH - Mar. 3, 2008 ...This shortage is due in large part to the nationwide medical liability crisis that has made it difficult for many doctors to continue to practice, brought on by the predatory practices of trial lawyers and their supporters in Congress... Physicians will seek to prescribe to Albany The New York Sun, NY - Mar. 3, 2008 ...A medical malpractice insurance task force convened by Mr. Spitzer was expected to make recommendations for changes by the end of 2007, but in the absence of recommendations, the physician group is planning to rally on the steps of the Capitol to "express our frustration and anger at what we're facing,"... Informed consent at heart of New York lawsuit American Medical News, Chicago, IL - Mar. 2, 2008 ...The issue of whether a patient who signed such a form was actually informed is very common in medical malpractice lawsuits. The fact that, in some states, the definition of informed consent is now set by statute, rather than common law, has done little to change that... Editorial: As Medicaid funds shrink, Pa. needs a plan The Morning Call, Allentown, PA - Mar. 2, 2008 ...Funding for his proposal would come from additional tobacco taxes and about $266 million over 10 years from the growing surplus in the "Mcare fund," which was created in 2003 to help physicians pay for medical malpractice insurance. About one third of the Mcare surplus could be applied to Medicaid shortfalls, he said... Bills readed for Thursday's crossover The Honolulu Advertiser, HI - Mar. 2, 2008 ...doctors wanted additional protection in the hope of lowering malpractice insurance premiums. House and Senate leaders have said doctors did not made a convincing argument that malpractice reform would help reduce the shortage of specialists in rural areas and on the Neighbor Islands... Editorial: Yes, there's the budget; there's also a lot more Palm Beach Post, FL - Mar. 2, 2008 ...Medical malpractice. The Florida Hospital Association wants immunity from all lawsuits for all health-care providers who deal with anyone who enters an emergency room. The immunity would extend to all treatments, over whatever length of time... Bill would offer doctors protection Casper Star-Tribune, WY - Mar. 1, 2008 ...A bill under review by the state Senate Labor, Health and Social Services Committee would strengthen protection for doctors in medical malpractice cases. House Bill 18 would tighten an existing law called the "loss of chance doctrine." Under current law, patients' families can sue physicians in cases where the doctor could have chosen a different treatment that would have resulted in a lower than 50 percent chance of the patient's survival... |
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