How to Reduce Medical Malpractice Claims? Study Says Surgical Checklists

Reuters reports on a study from Amsterdam which concluded that "...nearly a third of the malpractice claims arose from mistakes that likely would have been caught by a [surgical] checklist." The article also quotes Atul Gawande from the Harvard School of Public Health, "a surgeon who has written extensively on the topic." Said Gawande:

"This kind of evidence indicates that surgeons who do not use one of these checklists are endangering patients..."

According to the article, "only about one in four U.S. hospitals use one of the three checklists that have been proven to work." To read the full article, please click on Reuters Surgical Checklists.

Will Binding Arbitration Replace Med-Mal Lawsuits?

Found via Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report:

"The use of binding arbitration, rather than the court system, to resolve medical malpractice claims has become more common, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. According to the Inquirer, supporters maintain that binding arbitration is "faster, cheaper and fairer than trials," but opponents "say the secretive system can be weighted against consumers" and it can be "harder to track complaints or build legal precedents" through arbitration.... Physicians on the West Coast have begun to ask patients to sign binding arbitration agreements, and the trend has begun to spread nationwide..."

See original article: Arbitration a growing trend in health care.

Insurance Department Issues Second Annual Ohio Medical Liability Closed Claim Report

COLUMBUS — The Ohio Department of Insurance has issued its second annual Ohio Medical Liability Closed Claim Report, shows a total of 4,004 medical malpractice claims were closed in 2006. The average paid per claim was $288,080.

Some key findings in the report include:

• Total Claims: 4,006 claims reported for 2006 by 93 entities.
• Indemnity Payments: Almost 80 percent of medical malpractice claims resulted in no payment to a claimant. A total of 3,210 claims had no indemnity payments while 794, or 20 percent, closed with an indemnity payment.
• Claim Expenses: While most medical malpractice claims closed with no payments to claimants, almost all claims generated expenses for investigation and defense. These expenses totaled $88,131,139, an average of $25,672 per claim.

For more information on medical malpractice claims paid by state, see statehealthfacts.com.