New bill asks physicians to say 'I'm sorry' to avoid a med mal suit: legislation proposes use of patient safety officers as watchdogs.(Medical Malpractice)

Publication: Medicine & Health

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COPYRIGHT 2005 Eli Research, Inc.

Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Barack Obama (DIL) introduced a bill Sept. 28 intended to break the legislative stalemate on medical liability overhaul. The bill would provide liability protections for physicians who disclose medical errors to patients and encourage early settlement prior to litigation.

The senators cited the 1999 Institute of Medicine report, entitled "To Err is Human," that found medical errors to be the eighth leading cause death in the United States, with as many as 98,000 people dying yearly as a result of medical errors. "Patients and physicians are paying the price for a health care system that discourages the kind of communication needed to find and correct the conditions that lead to medical errors," Clinton said in a statement.

The measure establishes a new--Department of Health and Human Services-administered--National Medical Error Disclosure and Compensation (MEDiC) program. The bill, which builds on the...

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