|
Doctors for Medical Liability Reform
Doctors for Medical Liability
Reform (DMLR) is a coalition of 230,000 practicing medical
specialists who are committed to protecting patients' access to
healthcare by supporting federal legislation that will reform our
nation's broken medical liability system.
The Diagnosis
Personal injury lawyers are driving good
doctors out of the practice of medicine. Many doctors are cutting
back on high-risk services, relocating to states with more
patient-friendly liability laws or leaving the practice of medicine
altogether. As a result, in many states doctors are harder and
harder to find – especially in specialties such as OB-GYN,
neurosurgery and emergency medicine.
Some states have enacted medical
liability reform legislation, others have not. The result is a
patchwork system that only benefits personal injury lawyers – at the
expense of patients.
The American Medical Association
has identified 17 states currently experiencing an access to care
crisis. Of the remaining states, 25 have the potential to be deemed
"in crisis." Only eight states are considered stable – the common
denominator is that all of them have instituted some type of medical
liability reform.
The Cure
We must make sure that the care patients
need will be there when they need it. We must bring justice back to
our courtrooms and doctors back to our exam rooms.
The key to ending the medical
liability crisis is balance. We must rebalance the health care
system to protect patients, not personal injury lawyers.
There are state models of medical
liability reform that work and can be replicated at the federal
level. Laws that include unlimited payment for lost wages and
medical care – past, present and future – and place reasonable
limits on non-economic damages will help end the access to care
crisis.
Doctors for Medical Liability
Reform is committed to educating patients, physicians, business
leaders and legislators about medical lawsuit abuse and the need for
reform. States that are facing serious access to care problems are
the focus of our effort.
|
