http://cgood.org/healthcare-newscommentary-watch.html
It's Time for Special Health Courts in New York
Richard M. Peer, The Buffalo News, June 26, 2006
In an opinion piece in The Buffalo News, Dr. Richard M. Peer, president of the Medical Society of the State of New York, writes that “[i]t's time to give health courts a chance” because “[t]he current medical justice system is not working for doctors or for patients.” According to Dr. Peer, a vascular surgeon himself, some doctors,“[f]aced with increased liability and skyrocketing malpractice premiums, … are giving up the practice of medicine, especially those in high-risk specialties such as obstetrics, neuro and general surgery and emergency care.” He continues: “At the same time, the current system doesn't provide appropriate or timely compensation to patients who truly experience negligent adverse events. Instead, studies show that it rewards only a small fraction of plaintiffs with legitimate claims and those eventually compensated will have suffered an average of more than four years of litigation.” By streamlining proceedings and lowering the costs of adjudicating a claim, Dr. Peer argues that health courts would help solve these problems.
It's an interesting avenue - I have some hesitations about it, but it might be an avenue worthy of pursuit.
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