S olving the medical liability is the number-one focus of the American Medical Association, according to a statement made by the AMA in early October. It’s easy to see why when you glance at the U.S. map below in which the AMA has highlighted the “crisis” states (the states colored red) — 19 are considered the most critical — and those showing signs of crisis (the states depicted in yellow) — representing another 24 states. In other words, nearly all 50 states are affected in some way. According to AMA President-Elect John C. Nelson, M.D., MPH, many physicians have experienced malpractice insurance premiums of 25% to 400% over the past 2 years. As reported in our April cover story, “Malpractice Insurace: Coping with the Crisis,” many of you are facing skyrocketing premiums as well. And the increase in insurance seems to, not surprisingly, be having an overall impact on where physicians practice. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently reported that states in which lawsuit caps had been enacted had significantly higher numbers of practicing physicians. One thing’s for sure: Trial lawyers are still coming out on the winning side. A new report recently released by a Manhattan-based think tank recaps the staggering amounts of money trial lawyers earned last year — $40 billion last year from lawsuits, reported The Washington Times. Fees at large firms have jumped from $500 an hour to a high of $30,000 just in the last 10 years. In addition, according to the report, medical malpractice awards have risen to an average of $1 million. With political pressure building favorably toward physicians’ plight, this might soon be a non-issue in the coming year. Larisa Hubbs Executive Editor lhubbs@hmpcommunications.com
Malpractice Insurance and Lawyer’s Fees
S olving the medical liability is the number-one focus of the American Medical Association, according to a statement made by the AMA in early October. It’s easy to see why when you glance at the U.S. map below in which the AMA has highlighted the “crisis” states (the states colored red) — 19 are considered the most critical — and those showing signs of crisis (the states depicted in yellow) — representing another 24 states. In other words, nearly all 50 states are affected in some way. According to AMA President-Elect John C. Nelson, M.D., MPH, many physicians have experienced malpractice insurance premiums of 25% to 400% over the past 2 years. As reported in our April cover story, “Malpractice Insurace: Coping with the Crisis,” many of you are facing skyrocketing premiums as well. And the increase in insurance seems to, not surprisingly, be having an overall impact on where physicians practice. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently reported that states in which lawsuit caps had been enacted had significantly higher numbers of practicing physicians. One thing’s for sure: Trial lawyers are still coming out on the winning side. A new report recently released by a Manhattan-based think tank recaps the staggering amounts of money trial lawyers earned last year — $40 billion last year from lawsuits, reported The Washington Times. Fees at large firms have jumped from $500 an hour to a high of $30,000 just in the last 10 years. In addition, according to the report, medical malpractice awards have risen to an average of $1 million. With political pressure building favorably toward physicians’ plight, this might soon be a non-issue in the coming year. Larisa Hubbs Executive Editor lhubbs@hmpcommunications.com
S olving the medical liability is the number-one focus of the American Medical Association, according to a statement made by the AMA in early October. It’s easy to see why when you glance at the U.S. map below in which the AMA has highlighted the “crisis” states (the states colored red) — 19 are considered the most critical — and those showing signs of crisis (the states depicted in yellow) — representing another 24 states. In other words, nearly all 50 states are affected in some way. According to AMA President-Elect John C. Nelson, M.D., MPH, many physicians have experienced malpractice insurance premiums of 25% to 400% over the past 2 years. As reported in our April cover story, “Malpractice Insurace: Coping with the Crisis,” many of you are facing skyrocketing premiums as well. And the increase in insurance seems to, not surprisingly, be having an overall impact on where physicians practice. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently reported that states in which lawsuit caps had been enacted had significantly higher numbers of practicing physicians. One thing’s for sure: Trial lawyers are still coming out on the winning side. A new report recently released by a Manhattan-based think tank recaps the staggering amounts of money trial lawyers earned last year — $40 billion last year from lawsuits, reported The Washington Times. Fees at large firms have jumped from $500 an hour to a high of $30,000 just in the last 10 years. In addition, according to the report, medical malpractice awards have risen to an average of $1 million. With political pressure building favorably toward physicians’ plight, this might soon be a non-issue in the coming year. Larisa Hubbs Executive Editor lhubbs@hmpcommunications.com
