HHS Report Calls for Federal
Malpractice Reform Legislation
July 26, 2002 - Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS) Secretary Tommy Thompson July 24 released a report that
blames excessive litigation for rapidly increasing malpractice
insurance premiums. The report, Confronting
the New Health Care Crisis: Improving Health Care Quality
and Lowering Costs by Fixing Our Medical Liability System,
maintains that excessive litigation also drives increases
in health insurance costs and discourages providers from sharing
medical errors data that could improve the quality of patient
care.
Calling the litigation system "increasingly unpredictable,
costly, and slow," the report advocates for many of the
legislative reforms included in the AAMC-supported "Help
Efficient, Accessible, Low Cost, Timely Healthcare Act (HEALTH
Act) (H.R.
4600). It also calls for strengthening state medical review
boards and developing alternatives to costly, drawn-out litigation.
The report reiterates the Bush Administration's commitment
to creating "a legal environment that encourages health
care professionals and organizations to work together to identify
problems in providing care … and use that information
to improve care for all patients."
Information:
Christiane Mitchell, Senior Legislative Affairs Manager
AAMC Government Relations
cmitchell@aamc.org
(202) 828-0526
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