Recent News
Physicians, Patients Face Long Road in Liability Lawsuits
(Reuters Health) - Malpractice claims against U.S. doctors are often dismissed, and when they go to trial, the verdict is usually in the doctor's favor, according to a new study.But even when a case is dismissed, the road is typically long for both doctors and the...
Massachusetts hospitals undertake new approach to malpractice cases
In an effort to improve the state’s malpractice system, seven Massachusetts hospitals are participating in a pilot program designed to offer patients harmed by medical errors prompt apologies and financial settlements, reports the Boston Globe. The alliance of...
Results are in – and Americans Understand High Cost of Broken Liability System
NEW YORK, May 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A new nationwide poll finds that heavy majorities of voters across party lines believe that the legal system is increasing health care costs. The survey also found that 66 percent of voters favor taking medical claims out of...
Lawsuits against doctors decline
Ohio’s tort-reform law is having a dramatic impact on medical malpractice cases in the state, with closed claims dropping 41 percent between 2005 and 2010, and average payments declining 38 percent over that period.The Ohio Department of Insurance annual report...
Defense Costs of Medical Malpractice Claims
To the Editor: Despite research on the overall costs of the U.S. medical liability system,1 national data are limited on the costs associated with resolving medical malpractice claims2 — defense costs — and how they vary according to physician specialty. The frequency...
Making the case for federal tort reform
Paul Taylor, Chief Counsel to the Subcommittee on the Constitution for the House Judiciary Committee, lays out a comprehensive argument for federal tort reform in The Federalist Papers, the Commerce Clause, and Federal Tort Reform published in the Suffolk...
Romney: Why I’d repeal ObamaCare
Friday is the second anniversary of ObamaCare. It is past time to abolish the program, root and branch. The Supreme Court will soon have a crack at this; arguments about the program's constitutionality open before it next week. But whatever the justices decide in what...
President should back up his rhetoric with real reform
In his State of the Union address, President Obama urged Congress to set aside politics and work with the White House on passing legislation. But the president neglected to mention that Republicans in Congress have been doing just that. Unfortunately, our efforts to...
It’s fiscally irresponsible not to address liability reform
The economics are irrefutable, and the human evidence is sobering. The present medical liability situation in this country is adding to the already high cost of American medical care, driving physicians away from certain geographies and practice specialties -- and...
Defensive medicine seeping into physician training, study says
Practicing defensive medicine to avoid medical liability lawsuits may not be a formal part of medical school curriculum, but it's still being taught to medical students and residents, a study shows. A survey of 202 fourth-year medical students and third-year residents...