PA Medical Society: There’s Still Work to be Done on Medical Liability
The following is a statement from Peter S. Lund, MD, president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, in response to Governor Rendell’s press conference on Oct. 24, 2007, regarding the medical liability climate. Dr. Lund is a practicing urologist from Erie, Pa.
Pennsylvania’s medical liability climate for both physicians and patients does show some signs of improvement. But at the same time, the data also suggest there’s still a long way to go.
The statistics cited by Governor Rendell today at his press conference in Philadelphia for the most part were positive. The trends he cited confirm that, as the Pennsylvania Medical Society said several years ago, lawsuit abuse reforms do work. Based upon the good news from the Governor, each step in tort reform does help. The Pennsylvania Medical Society applauds these past steps and the efforts of our legislature and governor.
However, while incremental reform measures taken through Act 13 of 2002 and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court are gradually reversing some trends within the state, Pennsylvania still finds itself in an unfavorable position when compared to other states. Ultimately, this unfavorable position hurts efforts to recruit the best and brightest physicians to Pennsylvania. And this is happening at a critical point – when the number of elderly in our state is increasing rapidly as the baby boomer generation ages. The Pennsylvania Medical Society is particularly concerned that the number of physicians in Pennsylvania that Governor Rendell cited has been flat in recent years as health care demand has increased.
And, there are some other statistics concerning the medical society. For example,
- Pennsylvania’s average physician liability payout is 60 percent higher than average payouts in the rest of the nation.
- In Pennsylvania, per
capita physician liability payouts are slightly more than double the U.S. average.
As the Governor stated, there’s some good news in some statistics. We’re glad to hear past tort reforms are addressing certain lawsuit abuse issues.
But, other statistics such as flat levels of physician supply suggest there’s still work to be done.
The Pennsylvania Medical Society suggests that, in order to plan for the future of our commonwealth, we must find answers to the bigger question: Why is Pennsylvania so much higher than other states in payout averages? Most likely, the answer is related to the fact that Pennsylvania allows the sky to be the limit on non-economic awards.
That seems to be the next area of lawsuit abuse reform that needs to be fixed.
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The patient-doctor relationship has been the priority of the Pennsylvania Medical Society since its founding in 1848. The Medical Society listens to concerns of both patients and doctors to improve the delivery of health care services. To learn more about the Pennsylvania Medical Society, visit its website at www.pamedsoc.org or its consumer website at www.myfamilywellness.org.
Last Updated: 8/1/2008