Medical Malpractice News Roundup

From the Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, a summary of recent developments to medical malpractice law in three states. Briefly,

"Massachusetts: The Massachusetts Medical Society has asked state lawmakers to pass a bill sponsored by state Sen. Robert O'Leary (D) under which plaintiffs could not use statements of guilt or admissions of error by physicians as evidence in malpractice lawsuits, the Boston Globe reports. In addition to that bill, state Sen. Richard Moore (D) has introduced legislation that would create a "Health Apology Pilot Program"" with similar provisions. Go to article...

"Pennsylvania: The amount of claims paid by the state Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error, or MCARE, fund will decrease for a fourth consecutive year to $191 million, about a 50% decrease from 2003, Gov. Ed Rendell (D) said last week, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports." Go to article...

"Washington state: A state malpractice law enacted last year prevents public disclosure of reports of medical errors by individual hospitals, according to a legal opinion sent last week by the state Office of the Attorney General to the state Department of Health, the Seattle Times reports." Go to article...