Price On Medical Malpractice Reform

Republican Study Committee Chairman Tom Price (R-GA) appeared Tuesday morning on FOX & Friends to discuss the need for comprehensive medical malpractice reform and his solution to the problem, H.R. 3372, the HealthCourt Act. The text of H.R. 3372 was also included in H.R. 3400, the Empowering Patients First Act, a proposal for patient-centered health care reform introduced by Rep. Price and the RSC. Excerpts from the interview and more information are included below.

On Defensive Medicine:

“I think the American people were upset because they know that this bill didn’t address either the costs or the control of health care, who’s going to make these decisions. And in the area of defensive medicine, nothing really was done in the matter of tort reform or lawsuit abuse reform from the bill standpoint. And a quarter of all health care dollars are spent on the practice of defensive medicine. Now there are positive ways to solve this and that’s what irritates the American people so much because they know we can solve this in a wonderful way and it wasn’t done in the bill.”

Why Democrats Left Real Medical Malpractice Reform Out of Their Bill:

“Howard Dean, as you’ll recall, was the most honest in all of this when he said.. 'we can’t deal with tort reform because we don’t want to take on the trial lawyers.'”

Medical Malpractice Reform Is Essential to Health Care Reform:

“The people across this land know that the issue of lawsuit abuse reform is absolutely imperative if you’re going to do anything as it relates to health care. And certainly the doctors do. As a physician, I know that there are doctors who are stifled and oppressed by what’s going on right now in the health care industry.”

Republican Solutions:

“What we believe is that it is important to provide the contrast to the leadership that’s going on right now. People are upset across this land. They know this bill wasn’t the right thing to do. We’ve got the right positive solutions, and we believe the American people will support it.”

The Problem: Lawsuit Abuse, Defensive Medicine, & Higher Costs

* A recent Gallup poll found that that 21% of tests and treatments are ordered by doctors only to ward off frivolous lawsuits – that amounts to 26% of all health care dollars, or a staggering $650 billion dollars each year needlessly spent on defensive medicine.

* Our current system forces doctors to practice defensive medicine that adds nothing to patient care but higher costs. The Democrats' health care bill offers only further study of the issue and “demonstration projects.” As a former practicing physician for two decades, Rep. Price knows first-hand that no further study is needed. It’s time for real solutions.

Rep. Price’s Solution: H.R. 3372, the HealthCOURT Act

* Develop performance-based quality measures established by the Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement (PCPI) and physician specialty organizations.

* Establish a best-practices affirmative defense set by qualified physician consensus-building organization (such as PCPI) and physician specialty organizations.

* Create grants for State Health Courts for the resolution of disputes concerning injuries allegedly caused by health care providers.

(Source)