One of the frequent requests of medical care providers is caps on damages and limitations on the right to sue. Now that we have experience with those changes in several state, not Iowa, we can judge their effectiveness. Three new studies show that they simply ruin medical care. All 3 find that patient safety generally falls after tort reform legislation is passed in a state. Patient Safety Indicators(PSIs) consistently show a relaxation of care or a failure to reinforce care standards over time. As we already knew but couldnt prove for sure, medical malpractice lawsuits provide general deterrence to bad practices and an incentive to be careful. So called tort reform also leads to higher health care costs at least 4 to 5% . We need to be sure Iowa does not fall into this trap. There are very few med mal cases in Iowa, but the risk of such a suit acts as reminder to health care providers to be very very careful. We all want that for ourselves and our family and friends. And it turns out that it is helpful to everyone. See the web site of the Center for Justice and Democracy at centerjd.org. R
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 20:18:25 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015