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Full-Text Articles in Law

Medical Malpractice Reform Measures And Their Effects, Robert Leflar Jun 2013

Medical Malpractice Reform Measures And Their Effects, Robert Leflar

Robert B Leflar

New rules and methods for medical injury dispute resolution have been launched in New Hampshire and New York, and demonstration projects are underway elsewhere. This article describes major medical malpractice reforms undertaken and proposed in recent years. Reforms are classified as (1) liability-limiting initiatives favoring health-care providers; (2) procedural innovations promoted as improving dispute resolution processes, such as patient compensation funds, “sorry” laws, disclosure and early offer laws, health courts, and safe harbor laws; and (3) major conceptual reforms to move liability away from physicians to hospitals or administrative no-fault compensation systems. Empirical evidence about the practical effects of already-implemented …


Medical Malpractice Screening Panels: An Update And Assessment, Jean Eggen May 2013

Medical Malpractice Screening Panels: An Update And Assessment, Jean Eggen

Jean M. Eggen

No abstract provided.


Remedy For The Intentional Torts Of A Workmen's Compensation Carrier, Everett E. Demler May 2013

Remedy For The Intentional Torts Of A Workmen's Compensation Carrier, Everett E. Demler

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.


The Impact Of Medical Liability Standards On Regional Variations In Physician Behavior: Evidence From The Adoption Of National-Standard Rules, Michael Frakes Feb 2013

The Impact Of Medical Liability Standards On Regional Variations In Physician Behavior: Evidence From The Adoption Of National-Standard Rules, Michael Frakes

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

I explore the association between regional variations in physician behavior and the geographical scope of malpractice standards of care. I estimate a 30-50 percent reduction in the gap between state and national utilization rates of various treatments and diagnostic procedures following the adoption of a rule requiring physicians to follow national, as opposed to local, standards. These findings suggest that standardization in malpractice law may lead to greater standardization in practices and, more generally, that physicians may indeed adhere to specific liability standards. In connection with the estimated convergence in practices, I observe no associated changes in patient health. (JEL …


Medical Malpractice: The Right To Recover For The Loss Of A Chance Of Survival, Patricia L. Andel Jan 2013

Medical Malpractice: The Right To Recover For The Loss Of A Chance Of Survival, Patricia L. Andel

Pepperdine Law Review

Traditionally, a plaintiff suffering from misdiagnosis has been precluded from recovery unless he could show that "but for" the misdiagnosis he would have had a better-than-even chance of recovery. While many courts have attempted to avoid this doctrine by reducing the standard of causation, this has led to inconsistent results. The better approach is to recognize that a "chance" of recovery has a compensable value in and of itself This comment will explore the concept of loss of a chance and trace its development as it relates to medical malpractice actions.


Loss Of Chance, Probabilistic Cause, And Damage Calculations: The Error In Matsuyama V. Birnbaum And The Majority Rule Of Damages In Many Jurisdictions More Generally, Robert J. Rhee Jan 2013

Loss Of Chance, Probabilistic Cause, And Damage Calculations: The Error In Matsuyama V. Birnbaum And The Majority Rule Of Damages In Many Jurisdictions More Generally, Robert J. Rhee

UF Law Faculty Publications

This short commentary corrects an erroneous understanding of probabilistic causation in the loss-of-chance doctrine and the damage calculation method adopted in Matsuyama v. Birnbaum. The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts is not alone. Many other common law courts have made the same error, including Indiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, and Oklahoma. The consistency in the mistake suggests that the error is the majority rule of damages. I demonstrate here that this majority rule is based on erroneous mathematical reasoning and the fallacy of probabilistic logic.


Malpractice Mobs: Medical Dispute Resolution In China, Benjamin L. Liebman Jan 2013

Malpractice Mobs: Medical Dispute Resolution In China, Benjamin L. Liebman

Faculty Scholarship

China has experienced a surge in medical disputes in recent years, on the streets and in the courts. Many disputes result in violence. Quantitative and qualitative empirical evidence of medical malpractice litigation and medical disputes in China reveals a dynamic in which the formal legal system operates in the shadow of protest and violence. The threat of violence leads hospitals to settle claims for more money than would be available in court and also influences how judges handle cases that do wind up in court. The detailed evidence regarding medical disputes presented in this Essay adds depth to existing understanding …