The Illinois Business Journal

Tuesday, May 13, 2008
May 2004 issue - Vol.4, No.8, 32 pages

We Mean Business. Illinois Business.

Attorneys, insurers, physicians point fingers over medical mal
By ALAN J. ORTBALS

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   Illinois trial lawyers and the Illinois State Medical Inter-insurance Exchange are locked in a struggle for the hearts and minds of Illinois legislators, with the future of medical services in Illinois at stake.
   The two camps have widely different views on the causes and solutions to the medical malpractice insurance crisis. Some legislators are skeptical that anything of substance will be sent to Gov. Rod Blagojevich for his signature by May 21, the end of the regular session.
   A bipartisan Senate [continue]

Attorneys, insurers, physicians point fingers over medical mal

Malpractice insurance premiums for Metro East-based physicians have more than doubled over the past 36 months, causing many to relocate, retire or even switch professions.

Medical malpractice crisis drives a dozen insurance carriers out of Illinois

By ALAN J. ORTBALS

   The governor, Illinois trial lawyers and victims' rights groups all point to the insurance industry as the primary cause for Illinois' medical malpractice insurance crisis.
   Dr. Harold Jensen disagrees. He is chairman of nonprofit Illinois State Medical Inter-insurance Exchange, the largest provider of medical malpractice insurance in the state.
   Mutually owned by more than 8,000 Illinois physicians, ISMIE [continue]

Legislators consider raising the bar on malpractice suits
By ALAN J. ORTBALS

   SPRINGFIELD - Lobbyists representing doctors, lawyers, hospitals and the insurance industry are arguing before an Illinois Senate ad hoc committee about the medical malpractice insurance crisis in an effort to mold legislation to their liking.
   Ideas include reducing the number of frivolous lawsuits, developing greater expertise in the process, tightening the standards for certificates of merit, establishing an expert review panel and creating a separate court system for malpractice claims.
   Illinois is one of 17 states requiring a certificate of merit to file a malpractice suit. Any doctor can sign it, stating the opinion that the plaintiff's case has merit. The standards, however, are low, according to Sen. David Luechtefeld (R-Okawville), a member of the committee.
   "You could have had brain surgery and you could have a dermatologist sign that," he said.
   Raising these standards to reduce the number of frivolous suits [continue]

Admitting fault up front saves money long term, study shows
By KERRY L. SMITH

Admitting fault up front saves money long term, study shows
Dr. Steve Kraman's statistics are based on his study of 35 Veterans Affairs hospitals across the U.S. and their average financial payouts to victims and families due to medical malpractice incidents.

To err is human, but to voluntarily communicate that error to grieving relatives after a medical procedure has gone awry - rather than heeding the hospital attorney's advice to close the books and avoid the questions - has proven to pay [continue]

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