Common Good is an organization which all physicians should support. I get their email updates, and just received a link to this new report – Majority of Americans Support Creating Special Health Courts
According to a new national survey conducted by Harris Interactive and commissioned by Common Good, nearly 2 out of every 3 Americans (62%) favor having medical malpractice cases decided by special health courts, which would be presided over by medical professionals and experts.
“These results confirm that Americans see the need to restore reliability to justice in health care,” said CG Chair Philip K. Howard. “[A]ll the public debate about capping damages seems to have raised awareness in the public that there is a deeper problem with the ad hoc nature of modern justice.”
The survey found greater support for special health courts than for limiting medical liability, but limiting medical liability was still supported by a more than 3 to 1 margin, with 54% in favor and 17% opposed.
Apparently a majority of Americans understand this issue better than a majority of trial lawyers (db takes a cheap shot at lawyers). Democracy would work here.
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5 Responses to Americans favor special courts for malpractice cases
Bernie Simon
June 17th, 2004 at 8:41 pm
Model the malpractice system after the system of state medical boards whose lax enforcement gives incompetent and drug addicted doctors a free pass? God forbid!
RGL
June 17th, 2004 at 10:48 pm
Philip Howard, though a lawyer, has always injected a lot of common sense in discussions of public issues where justice is concerned. His two previous best-selling books reflect that.
His suggestion is nothing new, although legislators should have taken it more seriously. With increasing awareness of the brutalities of the current tort system, compounded by irrational, unreliable, and unpredictable juries, this is really a good time to explore this issue.
One caution: So-called alternative healers should be banned from membership in these medical courts. They have nothing to contribute.
kmh
June 18th, 2004 at 10:46 am
dd comments on the income garnered by personal imjury and med malpractice lawyers
one lawyer and his staff earned 36 million dollars in just 5 years of practice.
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1087551327100070.xml
grest sytem!
Bernie Simon
June 18th, 2004 at 9:18 pm
One caution: So-called alternative healers should be banned from membership in these medical courts. They have nothing to contribute.
Me? I’m not a healer of any type. I’m a computer programmer. Sorry if I’ve lowered your opinion of alternative medicine.
And I think at least I contribute a few cheap laughs.
arf
June 24th, 2004 at 12:27 pm
Cheap laughs is about right Bernie.
Here’s what the Bar does.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0624041pump1.html
An Oklahoma judge repeatedly engaged in acts of, uh….self-gratifcation underneath his judicial robes during trials.
That’s plural, Bernie. Multiple occasions.
If a doctor got caught doing that in a patient exa room, he would get precisely one chance. There wouldn’t be a second time. He would get summary suspension. Not a trial to determine whether to take him away from patients, like they gave to this judge. The trial of the doc would happen AFTER the doc was taken away from patients, to determine if he could go back. The chance of getting back would be low, and at best would require very close supervision and psych evaluation.
I’m aware of cases this bad, with lawyers in my own county here. Sexual assaults on clients. One was in jail at the time. Repeated acts, where everyone knew about the particular lawyer. They went right back after a good, firm, slap on the wrist. No supervision. No psych evaluation. The lawyer is going right back to screw his clients. Literally.
When I see the Bar do that, in my back yard, and in the news from other states, when you take cheap shots like you did, all the docs do is look at you with contempt.