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Thursday, April 22, 2004

Indiana Law - One more medical malpractice story today

"Malpractice claims nationwide are declining," is the headline to this story today in the Evansville Courier&Press series on medical malpractice. Some quotes:

Last year, 1,065 malpractice complaints were filed in Indiana - which has more than 22,000 doctors, more than 17,700 hospital beds and thousands of more medical offices, outpatient centers, clinics and nursing homes where treatments could go wrong.

Since 1995, the average number of new Indiana malpractice complaints has been between 900 and 1,000 a year - although the number of surgeries and other medical procedures being performed has increased substantially.

That reflects the national trend. According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, the number of new medical malpractice claims nationwide actually declined by about 4 percent between 1995, when 90,212 claims were filed, and the year 2000, when 86,480 claims were filed. * * *

The landmark Harvard Medical Practice Study found that only one in eight preventable medical errors committed in hospitals results in a malpractice complaint. And yet, the cost of liability insurance for doctors has skyrocketed to the point that government studies say it threatens Americans' access to health care.

Although "[l]eaders of the medical profession contend the problem is caused by frivolous malpractice claims being filed at the urging of 'predatory lawyers,' plus the growing numbers of multimillion-dollar awards being granted by 'runaway' juries," the story continues that national consumer groups "contend the problem has been caused by insurance companies' 'unregulated corporate greed.' The consumer groups contend that the AMA, as part of its $15 million-a-year lobbying efforts, should be pushing for insurance reform rather than limits on damage awards."

Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 22, 2004 07:25 AM
Posted to Indiana Law