Medical Journal Publishes “5 Myths of Medical Malpractice”

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CHEST Journal, the official publication of the American College of Chest Physicians, has published an article entitled, “5 Myths of Medical Malpractice”. The myths listed aren’t new to any who’ve followed or engaged in this debate about medical malpractice. What is noteworthy is that it’s is published in a medical journal and one of the co-authors is himself a physician. The authors note that the five myths include: 1) malpractice crises are caused by spikes in malpractice litigation, 2) the tort system delivers jackpot justice, 3) physicians are one malpractice verdict away from bankruptcy, 4) physicians move in large numbers to states that adopt damages caps, and 5) tort reform will lower healthcare spending dramatically.
If you want to read the full article, you must pay for a subscription to the journal. However, as I’ve said these five claims have been shown to be mythical before. They are tired and worn-out talking points of the insurance industry which myopically believes healthcare reform equals tort reform. Most informed consumers recognize that real healthcare reform begins with issues of patient safety.

Mark Abramson
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