Changes in the practice of medicine are driving changes in the practice of law. To reduce accidental harm, laws and policies have been enacted to improve the reporting of errors and adverse outcomes. To improve the overall quality of medical care, laws have been enacted to provide patients better access to information about their health, including records of adverse outcomes.
Many academic medical centers and other hospitals now routinely inform patients and their representatives about adverse and potentially adverse events as soon as they arise. In appropriate cases, patients are offered remedial services, such as a second surgery, free of charge, and are reimbursed for related expenses without having to sign a waiver.
In addition, some hospitals now encourage patients who are considering suit to mediate pre-litigation and have developed a structure to support this approach.
This two-part roundtable discussion series will cover both reforms that have been fully implemented and assessed and pilot studies that are currently under way.
Part I began with an overview of grants awarded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to study new methods of addressing medical malpractice claims. It described how one of the studies is progressing in the New York state court system.
Learn more about Part II.
- James B. Battles, PhD
Social Science Analyst for Patient Safety
Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (CQuIPS)
AHRQ, Rockville, MD
- Honorable Judy Kluger
Chief of Policy and Planning
New York State Courts, New York, NY
- Geoff Drucker
Manager, Dispute Resolution Services
American Health Lawyers Association, Washington, DC