Florida Gov. Rick Scott is set to receive a bill that would make it more difficult for patients to pursue medical malpractice claims, according to an Orlando Business Journal report.
The bill would restrict the types of expert witnesses that can be used in a medical malpractice suit, removing a provision that allowed medical experts in similar specialties. Instead, the bill would limit testimony to someone in the same field as the physician who is being sued.
The legislation would also allow attorneys defending physicians to ask subsequent healthcare providers about a patient, according to the report. This provision is intended to help attorneys decide whether a pending lawsuit could be settled or was frivolous, according to the report.
One of the bill's sponsors said the legislation is designed to make Florida a "magnet" for healthcare professionals, according to the report.
Florida was fifth in the country in 2011 for most medical malpractice payouts.
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The bill would restrict the types of expert witnesses that can be used in a medical malpractice suit, removing a provision that allowed medical experts in similar specialties. Instead, the bill would limit testimony to someone in the same field as the physician who is being sued.
The legislation would also allow attorneys defending physicians to ask subsequent healthcare providers about a patient, according to the report. This provision is intended to help attorneys decide whether a pending lawsuit could be settled or was frivolous, according to the report.
One of the bill's sponsors said the legislation is designed to make Florida a "magnet" for healthcare professionals, according to the report.
Florida was fifth in the country in 2011 for most medical malpractice payouts.
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