side note: California’s MICRA Act has been considered the gold standard of tort reform since 1975, but Texas’ 2003 medical liability tort reforms built on California’s law and upped the ante. And the results have been amazing. The article below purports that in the wake of the Lone Star State’s 2003 reforms, the number of […]

side note: Could this be a judicial “make good”? After neutering the majority of Illinois’ medical malpractice tort reforms when it deemed the state’s cap on non-economic damages unconstitutional two years ago, Illinois’ highest court more clearly defined the role of expert testimony in medical professional liability lawsuits this month. The question is whether this […]

side note: This is a ruling that could have significant impact on the cost of medical liability insurance in Ohio. In this case, an appellate court found that the state’s statute of repose was unconstitutional. Like a statute of limitations, a statute of repose imposes a deadline for filing a claim. In Ohio, the statute […]

Side Note: The state of Pennsylvania is currently reaping the benefits of some terrific med mal tort reform that went into effect in 2002. The Pennsylvania med mal reform, aimed at reducing the number of frivolous lawsuits that make it to court, is working. According to the article, since 2002, the number of Pennsylvania med […]

Side Note: There is some good news for physicians in Florida regarding Florida med mal tort reform. A new bill, HB 479, specifically addresses new, more stringent requirements for expert medical malpractice witnesses who appear in Florida courts. Under the law, out-of-state licensed expert witnesses must obtain certification. In essence, expert witnesses are now being […]

Side Note: Georgia physicians have a new rule to play by. If a physician in the state of Georgia does not have physician liability insurance, he or she must disclose this to his or her patients. “Going bare,” as it is often called, is pretty uncommon, and should be, for several reasons. We here at […]

Side Note: If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Hopefully, that will be the case with the state of Oregon when it comes to tort reform. Just this past year, the state introduced two bills: one that would establish a cap on non-economic damages and another that would establish a panel to review […]

Side Note: Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has signed into law an “I’m Sorry” law for Michigan physicians. The law allows physicians to express sympathy related to suffering, pain or death and not have it used again them as evidence in a medical malpractice lawsuit. However, the law would “not apply to a statement of negligence […]

Side Note: Working in any medical office poses its challenges: heavy workload, fast pace, multiple employees to get along with, new advances to keep up with –it’s tough. But, add in an office romance and things could get exponentially tougher –even if you are not in the relationship. Even the most thoughtful, most low-key office […]