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A new study dispels convictions commonly held by business and medical lobbying interest groups that medical malpractice lawsuits are to blame for out-of-control health care costs and short doctor supply.

The report, titled “The Great Medical Malpractice Hoax,” released by Public Citizen, claims there is no medical malpractice lawsuit crisis in the United States.

The Real Crisis

The real problems, the study contends, are:

• The lack of emphasis placed on patient safety
• The high incidence of avoidable medical mistakes
• Lack of accountability for the small subset of doctors that account for a disproportionately large number of medical malpractice complaints

The report also gave several recommendations to congress, hospitals, and state governments to improve health care and lower its cost.

“Over the past few years, the Republican-led Congress has repeatedly attempted to curtail the legal rights of medical malpractice victims by capping damage awards and imposing other limits on access to the courts by consumers,” said Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook. “This report shows that lawmakers were misguided; in fact, Congress should work to reduce medical errors.”

The Recommendations

To prevent errors, improve patient safety, and reduce the costs of medical care, Public Citizen recommends that:

• Congress should implement a mandatory adverse event reporting system
  
• Install computer systems for prescriptions to avoid medication errors caused by bad handwriting
  
• Limit physician workweeks to cut down on mistakes caused by fatigue

• Improve physician oversight to discipline the small number of doctors who get a lot of medical malpractice complaints
  
• Increase funding to increase staffing and increase oversight

Victim of medical malpractice? Please contact us today for a no-charge consultation with a competent and experienced personal injury attorney who can evaluate your case and help you determine if you are eligible to recover compensation.