Medical Malpractice Essay

332 Words2 Pages
Medical Malpractice Policies Norma Morales Health care Policy HSM-410 Professor Gena Niehaus Medical Malpractice Policies The cost of medical malpractice has been an ongoing debate in health policy circles. Medical malpractice in the United States as a whole has always been under the “authority of each individual state government and not the federal government” (Bal B. Sonny, M.D., 2008). Decisions surrounding medical malpractice are influenced by state legislation and by common law also known as case law. These are laws developed by judges through decisions of the courts. Recently, Florida lawmakers have been focused on strategies to decrease the rising healthcare costs. Motivated by grants from the federal government, various bills have been introduced with the goal of changing malpractice rules. Cases of negligence are one of the main contributors to these costs. On May 1, 2013, the house approved Florida bill “SB 1792” (Judiciary 2000-2013), which among other things will “require expert witnesses to testify against physicians that engage in the same specialty” (Adams, M., 2013). This is in contrast to existing law, which only requires the expert witness to be in the same or similar field, which has been argued to be unfair to the accused doctors and has resulted in greater expenses. If approved by the Governor, the provisions will take effect on July 1, 2013. This bill is needed for changes that will create fairness in the system to ensure accused physicians have adequate legal rights in defending cases of malpractice. Reference Adams, M. (2013 May 3). Insurance Journal. Florida Lawmakers Approve Medical Malpractice Reform. Retrieved 05/12/2013 from http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/03/290898.htm Bal, B. Sonny, M.D. (2008 November 26). An Introduction to Medical Malpractice in the United States. Retrieved 05/08/2013
Open Document