The Committee on the Judiciary of the U.S. House of Representatives held a hearing yesterday on medical liability reform to address possible ways to cut costs and spur investment through liability reform, according to a news release by the Health Coalition on Liability and Access.
Stuart L. Weinstein, MD, a spokesperson for the HCLA and the Ponseti Chair and a professor of orthopedic surgery and a professor of pediatrics at the University of Iowa, testified at the hearing. "There is no question that medical lawsuit abuse is undermining both our healthcare system and the doctor-patient relationship. Medical liability has devolved from a system designed to protect patients rights and improve the quality of health care, to a system designed to reward personal injury lawyers," said Dr. Weinstein in prepared testimony.
On the subject of defensive medicine, Dr. Weinstein said it is "the antithesis of healthcare reform. It increases healthcare costs and has the potential to lessen the quality of care that we strive to provide our patients every day."
Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) told The Hill yesterday that the committee plans to introduce legislation as early as next week. The legislation would be part of the House Republican's "piecemeal approach" toward replacing the healthcare reform law, according to The Hill report.
The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that medical liability reform would result in costs savings to the federal budget of $54 billion over the next 10 years.
Read the HCLA release on medical liability reform.
Read previous coverage on medical liability:
- Study Finds 42% of Physicians Have Been Sued for Malpractice
- New York City Judge Teams Up With Hospitals to Lower Malpractice Costs
Stuart L. Weinstein, MD, a spokesperson for the HCLA and the Ponseti Chair and a professor of orthopedic surgery and a professor of pediatrics at the University of Iowa, testified at the hearing. "There is no question that medical lawsuit abuse is undermining both our healthcare system and the doctor-patient relationship. Medical liability has devolved from a system designed to protect patients rights and improve the quality of health care, to a system designed to reward personal injury lawyers," said Dr. Weinstein in prepared testimony.
On the subject of defensive medicine, Dr. Weinstein said it is "the antithesis of healthcare reform. It increases healthcare costs and has the potential to lessen the quality of care that we strive to provide our patients every day."
Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) told The Hill yesterday that the committee plans to introduce legislation as early as next week. The legislation would be part of the House Republican's "piecemeal approach" toward replacing the healthcare reform law, according to The Hill report.
The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that medical liability reform would result in costs savings to the federal budget of $54 billion over the next 10 years.
Read the HCLA release on medical liability reform.
Read previous coverage on medical liability:
- Study Finds 42% of Physicians Have Been Sued for Malpractice
- New York City Judge Teams Up With Hospitals to Lower Malpractice Costs