Doctors' fear of lawsuits tied to added costs of $1.4b - The Boston Globe

Doctors' fear of lawsuits tied to added costs of $1.4b - The Boston Globe

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Pennsylvania jury awards $20.5 million in medical malpractice case

The Times Tribune reports that a Lackawanna County, PA, jury awarded $20.5 million in a medical malpractice suit related to a boy's medical problems caused by mistakes made at his birth. It is one of the largest awards in recent years. According to the news report,

"No medical malpractice jury verdict in the seven counties of Northeast Pennsylvania has exceeded $10 million from 2000 to 2007, according to statistics compiled by the state Supreme Court."

For more information, please click on the link: Pennsylvania jury award.

Dana-Farber Lawsuit Over Hospital Infection Death Brings $13.5 Million in Boston

BOSTON, MA - According to a Boston Globe report, a jury has awarded $13.5 million (including interest) to the family of woman who died from "a massive infection by a flesh-eating bacteria" while undergoing experimental cancer treatment from Dana-Farber Hospital. In the medical malpractice trial the jurors decided that the woman's "death could have been prevented if Dana-Farber doctors had investigated the cause of chronic diarrhea that surfaced during an unusual treatment protocol for a tumor behind her knee," said plaintiff's attorney Robert Higgins.

To read the full article, $13.5m awarded in hospital death, click on flesh eating bacteria.

UPDATED as of JAN. 15: You can now access lawyer's trial report with details of the medical malpractice trial on the lawyer's web site, click on: Dana Farber lawsuit.

Two other news articles on this story:
Family in chemo death awarded $13.5M - UPI
Family Gets $13 Million for Woman's Experimental Cancer Drug Death - Fox News

Effects of Arkansas Tort Reform Being Weighed by Insurance Commissioner

According to an article in the Arkansas Times, Fewer medical malpractice suits, tort reform legislation in Act 649 has reduced the number of medical malpractice suits filed in the state. But says the article, the effect of Act 649 on insurance premiums is less clear.

"The state insurance commissioner is required by law to file an annual report with the legislature on malpractice insurance rates. Those reports have generally said that it's still too early to evaluate the effect on rates of Act 649.... The report says there were nine medical malpractice rate filings in Arkansas in the most recent 12-month reporting period. Three of those were by new companies entering the state or for new products offered by companies already here, and thus couldn't be compared to previous rates, the report says. Of the other six filings, 'One filing provided for an overall decrease in rates of 39.5 percent. Five contained overall increased rates, none above 14.4 percent.'"