side note: On Sept. 1, a series of tort reforms—signed into law in May—intended to expedite the resolution of lawsuits and discourage plaintiffs from filing non-meritorious actions went into effect. These new reforms are in addition to the already stringent reforms enacted in 2003. Following is a closer look at the new regulations concerning lawsuits […]

Side Note: Last week we talked about the uniqueness of the emergency room –specifically, how the acuteness of the patient’s situation, paired with the lack of a medical record, often produces a situation ripe with liability exposure and potential medical malpractice. Today, we face a similar situation –how pharmacists in New Hampshire are being allowed […]

Side Note: New Hampshire is the latest state to join the trend of allowing pharmacists to give more than just flu vaccinations. The new vaccines recently added by the state are the pneumococcal vaccine and the shingles vaccine. The pharmacists who administer them are required to undergo special immunization training and carry $1 million in […]

side note: Word on the street is that the cap on non-economic damages in Florida is likely to be overturned. What’s been going on in Florida is simialr to what happened two years ago in Illinois. Medical malpractice insurance rates haven’t been positively affected by the Florida cap because everyone in the industry expects it […]

side note: This is a big deal in terms of the interpretation of tort reforms. The Maine Supreme Court has essentially voided the state’s statute of limitations with a new interpretation of the “continuing negligent action doctrine.” As the defense counsel stated: This ruling will “inevitably have the effect of making medical malpractice litigation more […]

Side Note: Medical malpractice tort reform is good at accomplishing a lot of things: it can help keep the cost of medical malpractice insurance lower for physicians, it can help reduce the number of frivolous lawsuits, and it can help reduce the number of extra tests that physicians order to protect themselves in case they […]

Side Note: ER physicians, like all physicians, don’t want to have to use their physician liability coverage. But, would you like your emergency room physician not only thinking about how to save your life but also thinking about how to cover himself in case you decide to sue him at the same time? No, I […]

Side Note: We just recently wrote about a great article that came out in the New York Post that discussed how New York physicians sick of high med mal insurance rates have been heading to the Lone Star State for a more friendly physician and practice environment, thanks to its recent medical malpractice tort reform […]

side note: This is the Illinois story that keeps on giving. Last year, the Chicago Tribune did an investigative article where it was discovered an appalling number of Illinois doctors practicing with convictions on their record for sex crimes or violent acts against patients. This led directly to the passage and implementation of House Bill […]