Addressing the New Health Care Crisis: Reforming the Medical Litigation System to Improve the Quality of Health Care

Many Americans enjoy high quality health care. However, we can do better. A number of efforts are currently being initiated to increase access to care, while enhancing even further the quality of care and constraining cost increases. This report summarizes the current issues surrounding the current medical liability system. Some of the concerns highlighted include the impact of increasing premiums physicians' ability to practice medicine, the need for a confidential reporting system for physicians to share information regarding medical errors without fear of litigation, and the need to examine patient safety from a systemic perspective. [47 PDF pages]