Unreliable System Fails Doctors and Patients
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"The Washington Post takes a detailed look at a single medical malpractice case--one that began when Dr. Kevin Kearney of Maryland's Eastern Shore urged an 18-year-old mother to have her baby without a Caesarean section. What followed was a complicated delivery resulting in permanent injuries to the child, and a multi-year legal battle, filled with dramatic moments that illustrate how an unreliable system can fail both doctors and patients."
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[Via MedWatch]
Common Good Promoting Special Health Courts
Common Good is planning a brochure for mass distribution to 'advance the concept of a special health court.' I've written about this organization before. Their proposal, which has some pretty big names behind it, calls for the creation of special health courts. Some of the details include:
- Full-time judges
- Neutral experts
- Speedy processing at lower cost
- Schedule for non-economic damages
- Liberalized standard for patient recovery
Common Good is accepting donations (tax deductible) to help with the mass distribution of their brochures.
"Dispelling malpractice myths"
"Dispelling malpractice myths" by the president of Johns Hopkins University:
""News reports of recent efforts to reduce malpractice insurance costs have missed what is needed: genuine reform of the medical justice system.
A good way to start is by jettisoning some commonly held misperceptions about the current malpractice system. Call them the "Myths of Malpractice..."""
[Via PointOfLaw Forum]
Heal the Law, Then Health Care
I'm reading more about Expert Medical Courts. Although my initial reaction is to avoid the creation of a new expert medical court beurocracy, I'm beginning to see the necessity of it.
Heal the Law, Then Health Care
Troyen A. Brennan and Philip K. Howard
The Washington Post, January 25, 2004
""What's missing from the current debate is any discussion of how the legal system should work in health care. Law is not some sort of sacred mandate but a tool to serve the common good. Asking how law can best serve health care leads to an unavoidable conclusion: A system of justice must be created that makes deliberate judgments -- reliable for patients and providers alike -- with improved patient care as the primary goal.""
