Barriers persist to new approaches to medical liability, studies find

Issues of medical liability and tort reform, as well as how they interact with rising health care costs, continue to draw news media interest.

MedPage Today: Tort Reform Alternatives Face Hurdles
Many barriers exist to implementing approaches to medical liability that could serve as alternatives to federal tort reform, a series of studies funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) found. Physicians can be hesitant to admit medical errors and misdiagnosis; insurers are leery of supporting early notification of errors; and barriers are created by existing state malpractice laws, according to research published as a series in Monday's Health Affairs (Pittman, 1/6).

PBS NewsHour: Could Malpractice Reform Save The U.S. Health Care System?
It's a scenario most people have considered at least once. Patient A is hoisted onto Dr. B's operating table. Knife slips and causes massive injury -- and unlimited pain and suffering -- to Mr. A. Should the resulting monetary compensation be unlimited, as well? ... An essay published Monday in the journal Health Affairs argues that it might be time for the government to step in. More specifically, lead author Dr. William Sage proposes that doctors and the federal government should strike a deal (Corapi, 1/6).