Patient Compensation Funds: Legislative Responses to the Medical Malpractice Crisis

1979 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-195
Author(s):  
Elizabeth D. Schrero
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Medical Malpractice ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Compensation System ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Damage Awards ◽  
Malpractice Insurance ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Medical Malpractice Insurance

AbstractFifteen states have created Patient Compensation Funds in response to the increased cost and reduced availability of medical malpractice insurance associated with the so-called “medical malpractice crisis.” Patient Compensation Fund statutes limit health care providers’ liability to a specified amount, and establish state-administered funds to compensate victorious malpractice plaintiffs for damage awards in excess of that amount.This Note examines the Patient Compensation Fund mechanism, evaluates its effectiveness as a compensation system for malpractice victims, and recommends particular provisions that might enhance its effectiveness. The Note concludes that the Patient Compensation Fund mechanism is an effective means of increasing the availability and of reducing the cost of medical malpractice insurance, and should be adopted by other states experiencing a “medical malpractice crisis.”

scholarly journals An Overview of Medical Malpractice Law in the United States Including Legislative and the Health Care Industry’s Responses to Increased Claims

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-163
Author(s):  
Thomas Allan Heller
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Medical Malpractice ◽  
Private Insurance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Malpractice Insurance ◽  
Malpractice Claims ◽  
Medical Malpractice Claims

Medical Malpractice claims are frequently asserted in the United States. At various time and places, an extraordinarily high number of claims and payouts led to what some have called medical malpractice crises. Consequently, in some geographical locations physicians either could not purchase malpractice insurance as carriers withdrew from the market, or, insurance became increasingly expensive and the overall costs associated with the delivery of health care continued to rise. Other undesirable consequences of these crises included a shortage of qualified physicians in certain parts of the country. Many of the states responded to these problems legislatively through a long series of tort reform measures. The health care industry itself has evolved in numerous ways. In particular, many health care providers have turned away from traditional private insurance models to self-insured models such as captives. Further, the industry has continued to consolidate, with fewer, but larger hospitals and clinics, and with an increasing number of physicians employed directly by hospitals and large clinics. The results of all of these changes have had mixed results.

Policy on the Development of Immunization Tracking Systems

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 97 (6) ◽  
pp. 927-927
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Tracking Systems ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Immunization Status ◽  
Immunization Rates ◽  
Specialized Hardware ◽  
Public And Private Cooperation ◽  
The Cost

The American Academy of Pediatrics in its role as advocate for children supports public and private cooperation in the development of immunization tracking systems (ITSs) insofar as they benefit children. All ITSs as they are developed: • Should prospectively articulate their goals and desired outcomes, including documenting immunization status and the mechanics of immunization, increasing rates of immunization, decreasing cost of immunization, and facilitating immunization opportunities; • Must accurately document each child's current immunization status; • Must preserve children's and their health care provider's right to confidentiality; • Should ensure that data will be available to health care providers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so that health care providers can take advantage of all opportunities to immunize; • Should ensure that data will not be used for sanctions against health care providers; • Must ensure that data input and access mechanisms enable providers to supply and access data easily, without having to purchase specialized hardware or expensive software; input and access software mechanisms need to enable all providers to supply data to and retrieve data from the ITS; • Should entitle health care providers to be reimbursed or the cost of providing data to the ITS; • Must ensure that data reflecting evidence of incomplete immunizations will not be used to deny a child access to care or eligibility for benefits by any insurance plan; • Must be studied and/or evaluated to determine their effectiveness at increasing immunization rates and decreasing costs; if such systems do not fulfill these goals, they should be eliminated; and

scholarly journals Improving Access to Cancer Treatments: The Role of Biosimilars

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 596-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rakesh Chopra ◽  
Gilberto Lopes
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Cancer Treatment ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Cancer Therapies ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Cancer Treatments ◽  
Reference Drug ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
The Cost

Biologics play a key role in cancer treatment and are principal components of many therapeutic regimens. However, they require complex manufacturing processes, resulting in high cost and occasional shortages in supply. The cost of biologics limits accessibility of cancer treatment for many patients. Effective and affordable cancer therapies are needed globally, more so in developing countries, where health care resources can be limited. Biosimilars, which have biologic activity comparable to their corresponding reference drugs and are often more cost effective, have the potential to enhance treatment accessibility for patients and provide alternatives for decision makers (ie, prescribers, regulators, payers, policymakers, and drug developers). Impending patent expirations of several oncology biologics have opened up a vista for the development of corresponding biosimilars. Several countries have implemented abbreviated pathways for approval of biosimilars; however, challenges to their effective use persist. Some of these include designing appropriate clinical trials for assessing biosimilarity, extrapolation of indications, immunogenicity, interchangeability with the reference drug, lack of awareness and possibly acceptance among health care providers, and potential political barriers. In this review, we discuss the potential role and impact of biosimilars in oncology and the challenges related to their adoption and use. We also review the safety and efficacy of some of the widely used biosimilars in oncology and other therapeutic areas (eg, bevacizumab, darbepoetin, filgrastim, rituximab, and trastuzumab).

Australian Health Care Workers Use of a Telephone Advice Line

2001 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 70
Author(s):  
Patrick G. M. Bolton ◽  
Sharon M. Parker ◽  
Jag Chera
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Information Service ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Australian Health ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Telephone Advice ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Area Health

An evaluation of the Health Resource Line (HRL), a telephone information service for use by General Practitioners and Area Health employees in Northern and Central Sydney Area Health Services, was conducted following an eight month pilot. This evaluation found that no more than half of the target population were aware of the service, and that fewer than a third of these had trialed the service. This is consistent with the experience in other published trials of this kind. The experience of health care providers using the service was generally positive, but despite this, overall levels of use were low and declined after an initial peak. The low level of use brings into question the cost effectiveness of such a service and the need for possible alternatives.

Budgetbereinigung zwischen Kollektiv- und Selektivvertrag: ökonomische Aspekte aus wettbewerblicher Sicht / Selective Contracting and Collectively Financed Fund: The Way of Appropriate Adjustment

2012 ◽  
Vol 232 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jürgen Zerth ◽  
Stefanie Daum
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Cost Sharing ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Commitment Strategy ◽  
Dynamic Perspective ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Static World ◽  
Selective Contracts ◽  
Method Of Adjustment

SummaryThe extraction of a selective contract from a collectively financed fund needs an appropriate method of adjustment. This is necessary as long as the fund guarantees basic benefits, irrespective of the contractual form of service provision. In this context externalities arise which may not be internalized by the partner of a selective contract.We look at externalities in the context of a collectively financed fund where insurers and health care providers can contract forms of managed care that need an adjustment scheme.We show that in a first-best static world, unique reimbursement schemes between collective and selective contracts are appropriate. From a dynamic perspective problems of externalities between collective and selective contracts increase due to the requirement of an enduring commitment scheme between the health care providers and the cost-payers. But some simple form of cost-sharing ideas in which the patient is also involved can help to achieve a pareto-optimal equilibrium. This commitment strategy will be easier to organise if the selective contract is connected with a process innovation. Altogether, the dynamic commitment strategy may only work if health care providers as well as cost-payers compete actively.

Making the Case for a Nurse-Led Vascular Access Team Utilizing a Quality Assurance Conceptual Framework

2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda L. Beerman
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Financial Burden ◽  
Central Venous Access ◽  
Venous Access ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Quality Of Patient Care ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Venous Access Devices

Abstract The cost of complications of central venous access devices (CVADs) in today's health care setting is creating a financial burden, increasing the expenditures of resources, and consuming the time of health care providers to resolve. As the roles of nurses continue to evolve, nurses may be in a position to recognize and prevent many of these complications. This paper proposes a conceptual model to address the issues related to caring for and monitoring CVADs, while reducing complications and increasing quality of patient care.

scholarly journals Managing the long term care of inflammatory bowel disease patients: The cost to European health care providers

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 301-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Buchanan ◽  
Sarah Wordsworth ◽  
Tariq Ahmad ◽  
Angela Perrin ◽  
Severine Vermeire ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Term Care ◽  
European Health ◽  
Inflammatory Bowel ◽  
The Cost
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