Recent News
Pushing Back on Medical Liability Misconceptions – NYT Letter to the Editor
To the Editor Re G.O.P. Bill Would Make Medical Malpractice Suits Harder to Win (April 15): In 40 years of practicing medicine, I’ve witnessed a change in physician culture. Physicians no longer rely on clinical judgement based on training, experience and the best...
A Doctor’s Place is in the Exam Room
An orthopaedic surgeon and a neurosurgeon walk into a room… Unfortunately, this is not the start of a joke. While we would prefer to be sharing best practices and treating patients in our exam rooms, the fact is we’re spending more time than we’d like in a courtroom....
Medical Liability – Prospect for Federal Reform
Medical malpractice reform appears to be back on the federal policy agenda. The appointment of Tom Price, a long-time proponent of tort reform, as secretary of health and human services, in conjunction with Republican control of both houses of Congress, has created...
Iowa Senate Advances Bill To Discourage Med Mal Suits
The Iowa Senate on Monday approved a tort reform bill that would cap noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases at $250,000 and require injured patients to obtain a “certificate of merit” from a medical expert before filing suit. S.F. 465 passed the Iowa...
Bill to change medical professional liabilities law passes state Senate
A bill that would change current state medical professional liabilities law has passed the state Senate. Senate Bill 338 would requires lawsuits against long-term care providers to be brought in the county in which the facility is located. Senate Judiciary Chairman...
Lawmakers seek to cap damages in medical malpractice cases
Doctors who worry about medical malpractice lawsuits would get major relief under legislation that was approved by a House committee Tuesday and that would make it harder for patients to come after their money. The legislation, approved by the House Judiciary...
GOP Again Proposes Malpractice Tort Reform, With a Twist
Over the past 20 years, House Republicans repeatedly have passed malpractice tort reform that caps non-economic damages at $250,000, only to be stymied by Senate Democrats who view such measures as an intrusion on a plaintiff's right to his or her day in court. Today,...
Scope of practice should set limits on medical liability testimony
Which medical professionals are qualified to provide medical causation testimony before a court? In Frausto v. Yakima HMA, the Supreme Court of Washington will determine whether an advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP) is qualified to testify as to the...
Tort Reform Introduced in Iowa Legislature
On Monday, both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees introduced bills on tort reform HSB 105 and SSB 1087 This IMS-crafted tort reform package represents the most comprehensive reforms to Iowa’s medical liability system in more than a generation and marks the...
Judd Gregg: Five easy pieces
Big agendas and bigger issues are being talked about by the new president and the Republican Congress. This is a good thing. This new government should aim to act boldly and quickly. For conservatives, there are also smaller but significant issues — points of...