- Home
- » e-Newsletters
Court decision threatens CA’s tort reform law
LTC Liability Monitor, May 13, 2004
A California Supreme Court ruling this week could result in more elder abuse claims against the state's physicians, according to the American Medical Association's American Medical News.
Previously, strict rules protected physicians from meritless or late demands for punitive damages sought in medical malpractice cases. The court decision now does away with these rules for malpractice claims when the charges include elder abuse-stating these claims go beyond professional negligence and individuals committing such crimes should not be protected.
Physicians and legal experts are concerned this will result in allegations of elder abuse in nearly every malpractice case to allow plaintiffs to seek punitive damages, according to American Medical News.
Some healthcare associations fear the ruling will also encourage attacks on the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act-a tort reform law doctors claim has stabilized California's liability insurance market for nearly 30 years.
Most Popular
- Articles
-
- Q/A: Volume requirement for reporting hydration services
- Featured blog post: Nurses face felony charges after reporting physician to the Texas Medical Board
- Catch up on what's new with injections and infusions
- Topic: CMS, OESS post new security compliance review information, checklist
- Capturing all necessary codes for IUD insertion and removal can be challenging
- What does case-mix index mean to you?
- QA:Coding multiple initial infusions
- News and briefs: Oklahoma Osteopathic Association against residency bill change
- HIPAA Q&A: Level of encryption needed for email
- OB services: Coding inside and outside of the package
- E-mailed
-
- Q/A: Volume requirement for reporting hydration services
- Featured blog post: Nurses face felony charges after reporting physician to the Texas Medical Board
- Catch up on what's new with injections and infusions
- New conflicts of interest create new challenges
- Q/A. One injection code or two?
- What does case-mix index mean to you?
- ED-to-inpatient transfers are flawed with safety gaps
- Joint Commission Center announces handoff communication solutions
- Inside best practice: Reduce patient falls with a stoplight
- Identify modifiable risk factors to prevent patient falls
- Searched