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New Ideas for Liability Reform: Health Courts and Administrative Compensation

Paul Barringer
PA ACOG News, June 7, 2007

In the Spring 2007 Pennsylvania ACOG newsletter, Common Good General Counsel Paul Barringer writes on the need for fundamental change to our current medical malpractice system and notes that Pennsylvania is a particularly promising state to enact reforms. 

“Through the years, much effort has been devoted in Pennsylvania to understanding problems in the medical liability system and considering ways in which the system might be improved. For example, a major Pew Charitable Trusts initiative several years ago underwrote dozens of leading experts in researching medical liability issues in the state.  In addition, the General Assembly’s Joint State Government Commission has explored alternatives to the tort system. The Commission produced a report in March 2005 that discussed a number of innovative proposals, including the idea of creating an administrative process to compensate medical injuries. The report concluded that such an approach could save money and expedite compensation to injured patients.

The Joint State Government Commission’s report generated substantial interest in the legislature, and ultimately led to a bipartisan proposal to establish new demonstration projects to test the administrative approach.”  » more