Mississippi Med Mal Reform Works, Data Shows
Side Note: Who would have thought that tort reform would work in the state of Mississippi? We here at MyMedicalMalpracticeInsurance.com would have. And, a new study out in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology (Aug 2011) proves it and we are happy to share it.
Data was reviewed from 1986 to 2010 from Medical Assurance Company of Mississippi (MACM), the largest physician liability insurer in Mississippi, and MACM-insured ob/gyns in particular. The data reviewed included many years prior to the new med mal legislation and many years after its implementation. The main reforms enacted included a $500,000 cap on non-economic damages, and a law requiring plaintiffs to sue in the county they were allegedly injured.
The data clearly showed that med mal lawsuits rose steadily until the reform was enacted (with a surge just prior to the laws going into effect, with last-minute cases being filed) and then significantly declined. In addition, the study also showed that Mississippi med mal insurance costs also went down. A similar pattern was seen: med mal insurance costs steadily rose until the reforms were enacted and then they significantly declined post-reform. Of course they did.
Are you a Mississippi physician who would like to lower your Mississippi med mal policy premiums? If so, contact us today for a free, no-obligation quote.
Malpractice Suits Plunge In Wake of Mississippi Tort Reforms
By Daniel Fisher
From: Forbes.com
Posted: Jul. 28 2011
A new study of medical malpractice litigation in Mississippi suggests caps on pain and suffering awards and other reforms had a dramatic impact on lawsuits against doctors in that state.
The study in the current issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology is by Mark Behrens of Shook, Hardy & Bacon, the defense firm of choice for tobacco companies and manufacturers with serious toxic liability issues. No matter. Behren simply looks at the number of lawsuits filed against doctors insured by the Medical Assurance Co. of Mississippi, the state’s largest med-mal insurer, and comes up with convincing evidence that once the legislature made it harder to sue and win big bucks, lawyers responded by filing fewer suits.
