A group called Patients for Fair Compensation proposes a sweeping overhaul to create a workers comp-style system in the State of Florida that would adjudicate malpractice claims and curb the costly practice of “defensive medicine.”
From Kenric Ward’s blog | Posted: January 8, 2012 4:24 PM
Legislation has been introduced to create a “Patient’s Compensation System” to handle medical malpractice claims in Florida.
Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, and Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Panama City, are sponsoring Senate Bill 1588 and House Bill 1233 to replace current malpractice litigation with a process that supporters estimate will eliminate up to $40 billion per year of “medically unnecessary medical costs.”
“The current medical liability system isn’t working for patients or physicians. It is adversarial, expensive and inefficient,” Patronis said. “Legislative action in 2012 is essential to protect Florida’s patients and reduce unnecessary health-care costs.”
Patients for Fair Compensation, a reform advocacy group, said the system called for in the legislation would:
* Utilize a no-fault process modeled after the state’s workers’ compensation program.
* Lower health care costs by reducing the incidence of unnecessary tests and procedures currently ordered by health care providers seeking to protect themselves from potential lawsuits.
* Assure that all patient complaints are heard and quickly resolved while ensuring that more patients are fairly compensated.
Read the full story here. And more details of the proposed reform here.