Medical Jurisprudence Commons^™

Using It For All It's Wuerth: A Critical Analysis Of National Union Fire Insurance Company Of Pittsburgh V. Wuerth As Applied To Medical Malpractice In Ohio, Christy L. Wesig

Akron Law Review

This essay discusses the application of this new limitation to the field of medical malpractice, the divergent results reached by Ohio’s appellate courts in the medical negligence and malpractice context since Wuerth, and the various treatments by other jurisdictions. This essay argues that the holding in Wuerth narrowly applies only to law firms, and that applying it to medical malpractice results in a reversal of the settled Ohio law and injustice for those injured by the negligence of medical professionals. Part II examines the history of hospital liability and traces the changes in vicarious liability up to the Wuerth decision. …

Positive Prognosis For Judges: A Look Into Judge-Directed Negotiations In Medical Malpractice Cases, Kristine Gamboa

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

The article examines the effectiveness of the judge-directed negotiation program in the Unified Court System of New York State under the analysis of various medical malpractice lawsuits, which plays a vital role in the legislational reform in the field of medical malpractice. It informs that Douglas McKeon, Judge of the Bronx County Supreme Court had developed the concept of judge-directed negotiations. It overviews the praises and criticisms behind the success of the program.

Uncovering The Silent Victims Of The American Medical Liability System, Joanna Shepherd

Vanderbilt Law Review

A frequently overlooked problem with the current medical liability system is the vast number of medical errors that go uncompensated. Although studies indicate that 1% of hospital patients are victims of medical negligence, fewer than 2% of these injured patients file claims. In this Article, I explain that many victims of medical malpractice do not file claims because they are unable to find attorneys willing to take their cases. I conducted the first national survey of attorneys to explore medical malpractice victims' access to the civil justice system. The results from the survey indicate that the economic reality of litigation …

Using Clinical Practice Guidelines And Knowledge Translation Theory To Cure The Negative Impact Of The National Hospital Peer Review Hearing System On Healthcare Quality, Cost, And Access, Katharine Van Tassel

Pepperdine Law Review

According to an estimate by the Institute of Medicine made over a decade ago, treatment errors in hospitals alone caused 98,000 deaths yearly. This Institute of Medicine report is proving to be conservative. A recent Consumer Reports investigation came to the conclusion that “[m]ore than 2.25 million Americans will probably die from medical harm this decade…. That’s like wiping out the entire populations of North Dakota, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It’s a manmade disaster.” Thus, it appears that the three major systems in the United States that are designed to improve the quality of patient care — the state medical …

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

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.

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

Faculty Scholarship

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.

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

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 …

Defensive Medicine And Obstetric Practices, Michael Frakes

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

Using data on physician behavior from the 1979–2005 National Hospital Discharge Surveys (NHDS), I estimate the relationship between malpractice pressure, as identified by the adoption of noneconomic damage caps and related tort reforms, and certain decisions faced by obstetricians during the delivery of a child. The NHDS data, supplemented with restricted geographic identifiers, provides inpatient discharge records from a broad enough span of states and covering a long enough period of time to allow for a defensive medicine analysis that draws on an extensive set of variations in relevant tort laws. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, I find no evidence …

Medical Malpractice Arbitration In The New Millennium: Much Ado About Nothing ?, Ann H. Nevers

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

This paper reviews the constitutional issues surrounding medical malpractice arbitration clauses and the implementation of arbitration contracts, and the existing medical malpractice process. Federal preemption issues under the Federal Arbitration Act, enterprise liability and ERISA preemption, and cybermalpractice will be discussed. Finally, dispute resolution industry standards implemented by the American Arbitration Association and American Health Lawyers Association will be reviewed as well as current medical malpractice mediation practices in industry. While the past has shown that arbitration has not been used a great deal future trends may increase use. Emerging medical malpractice arbitration issues arising in the new millennium include …

The Future Of Adr, Edward A. Dauer

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

This article addresses the use of alternative dispute resolution in health care.The article provides a historical analysis of medical malpractice and traces the development of ADR in healthcare. The article discusses the benefits that ADR can and will bring to health care in the future.

Lebron V. Gottlieb And Noneconomic Damages For Medical Malpractice Liability: Closing The Door On Caps, But Opening It To New Possibilities, Jacquelyn M. Hill

Chicago-Kent Law Review

In Lebron v. Gottlieb, decided in February of 2010, the Illinois Supreme Court struck down Public Act 94-677, finding that its cap on noneconomic damages violated the Illinois Constitution's separation of powers clause. The Court primarily relied upon the remittitur doctrine to come to its conclusion. This case comment addresses the Lebron decision and its rationale, particularly its focus on the remittitur doctrine. Additionally, this comment addresses the following concepts: 1) the background and history of attempts to limit common law liability in tort law in Illinois; 2) other jurisdictions' responses to statutory caps; 3) the Lebron majority's distinctions regarding …

Medical Apology Programs & The Unauthorized Practice Of Law, Gabriel H. Teninbaum

Suffolk University Law School Faculty Works

This Essay was created to accompany a presentation at the New England Law Review/American Health Lawyers Association symposium “On the Table: An Examination of Medical Malpractice, Litigation, and Methods of Reform.” In the last decade, many American medical facilities have instituted medical apology programs. These programs call on doctors who have committed an error to meet with their injured patient, explain what happened and, typically, apologize. Some programs have also adopted policies to accompany these communications with offers of compensation. As part of this process, doctors are typically accompanied to meetings by risk managers who represent the interests of the …

Forgive And Forget: Recognition Of Error And Use Of Apology As Preemptive Steps To Adr Or Litigation In Medical Malpractice Cases , Ashley A. Davenport

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

Medical malpractice cases are a special breed within the field of tort jurisprudence as mistakes in the medical field are regrettably inevitable. Medical universities use some of the greatest hospitals in this country as interactive classrooms to teach future physicians. A vast number of people are treated in hospitals throughout the United States every day, and of those treated, a number are neglected under the confines of the law. The American public expects infallible care from our health care system and any deviation from perfection may result in legal action. Those wronged seek litigation primarily as a means to punish …

Mediation In The Health Care System: Creative Problem Solving , Sheea Sybblis

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

Part I of this paper provides a comparison of the use of litigation and mediation in the health care context. Part II explores how mediation can be used to improve many of the often criticized aspects of adjudication systems and alleviate tension between parties in health care disputes. Part III provides an evaluation of current mediation programs and studies in health care, as well as the expanding role of mediators. Part IV incorporates assessments of the potential success of mediation to resolve health care disputes in the future and provides suggestions to strengthen the process.

Medical Professional Liability Litigation In West Virginia: Part Ii, Thomas J. Hurney Jr., Jennifer M. Mankins

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Medical Malpractice: The Italian Experience, Claudia Dimarzo

Chicago-Kent Law Review

Beginning with an investigation into the problematic nature of medical liability, the Article overviews the most significant approaches taken by courts and scholars in order to establish whether the physician's position before the patient is comparable with that of either a tortfeasor or a contractor.

Having explained that the most recent approaches in this regard tend toward the recognition of the contractual nature of medical liability, the Author discusses the implications of such a solution, making specific reference to the following issues: 1) the assignment of the burden of proof (along with the distinction between obligations of means and obligations …

The Law Of Medical Misadventure In Japan, Robert B. Leflar

Chicago-Kent Law Review

This paper offers a comprehensive overview of Japanese law and practice relating to iatrogenic (medically-caused) injury, with comparisons to other nations' medical law systems. The paper addresses criminal sanctions for Japanese physicians' negligent and illegal acts; civil law principles of substantive law and related issues of procedure, practice, and liability insurance; and administrative measures including health ministry programs aimed at expanding and improving the quality of peer review within Japanese medicine, and a recently implemented no-fault compensation system for birth-related injuries.

Among the paper's findings are these. Criminal and civil actions increased rapidly after highly publicized medical error events at …

Medical Malpractice And Compensation In The Uk, Richard Goldberg

Chicago-Kent Law Review

In the first part of this paper, Dr. Goldberg examines the context in which medical malpractice liability is operating in the UK. The fact that the state-run National Health Service (NHS) is the major healthcare provider in the UK has several implications, since funding for medical malpractice compensation in the NHS comes from the taxpayer. The most recent empirical evidence on the incidence and funding of claims in England and Scotland is assessed, to show a trend of expenditure on clinical negligence increasing, particularly in England. This is followed by an examination of the statutory framework for the empowerment of …

A Bridge Over Troubled Waters: The Development Of Medical Malpractice Litigation In Brazil, Eduardo Dantas

Chicago-Kent Law Review

This paper aims to demonstrate how medical malpractice litigation is developing in Brazil, and how the Brazilian legal system is dealing with the increase of demands against health care professionals. A brief overlook on the legal structure is provided, highlighting the most important issues being discussed today in Brazilian courts, regarding autonomy, consent, choice, the definition of moral damages, and the influence of the Consumer's Defense Code in litigation regarding health law.

Yangge Dance: The Rhythm Of Liability For Medical Malpractice In The People's Republic Of China, Zhu Wang, Ken Oliphant

Chicago-Kent Law Review

This paper summarises the development of liability for medical malpractice in the People's Republic of China, beginning with the establishment of a formal system of administrative liability in 1987, its refinement in 2002, and the broadly contemporaneous judicial recognition of a concurrent tortious liability under general civil law. All these developments may be said to have furthered the interests of patients. The incorporation of liability for medical malpractice into the Tort Liability Law of 2009, however, arguably marks a step backwards, subordinating the interests of patients in favor of the interests of the medical community, and further reforms in the …

Malpractice In Scandinavia, Vibe Ulfbeck, Mette Hartlev, Mårten Schultz

Chicago-Kent Law Review

The article describes the special Scandinavian patient insurance system which secures compensation for patients in malpractice cases. For all practical purposes, the insurance based systems have replaced ordinary tort law rules in malpractice cases in Scandinavia. Thus, the basic feature of these systems is that proof of fault is not a requirement for obtaining compensation. Other criteria which are more favourable to the patient are applicable. The article concludes that in general the compensations systems have been successful in making it easier for the patients to obtain compensation. However, the systems also face challenges, some of which stem from the …

Shielding Hippocrates: Nevada's Expanded Pleading Standard For Medical Malpractice Actions And The Need For Legislative Reform, Justin Shiroff

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Medical Malpractice And Compensation In France, Part Ii: Compensation Based On National Solidarity, Geneviève Helleringer

Chicago-Kent Law Review

In France, distinctively from the compensation process by insurers of liable professionals, compensation of the victim will in certain cases such as medical hazards, hospital-acquired infections, blood-transfusion infections, result from a compensation scheme similar to that available for victims of terrorism and crimes. It is based on national solidarity and dispensed by the National Fund for Compensation of Medical Accidents (ONIAM). The growing importance of such a compensation scheme may appear to be a double-edged evolution. On one hand, it has improved the status of victims of medical harms; they are increasingly integrally compensated more quickly and under more flexible …

Canadian Medical Malpractice Law In 2011: Missing The Mark On Patient Safety, Colleen M. Flood, Bryan Thomas

Chicago-Kent Law Review

This paper surveys the current state of medical malpractice law in Canada, along with current evidence on adverse events in Canadian hospitals, medical clinics, and long-term care facilities. Though there is currently no "burning platform" to reform Canadian medical malpractice law, the authors raise concerns about the law's failure to deter medical malpractice, as well as concerns about access to justice issues facing victims of medical malpractice. Federal and provincial governments have tried to promote patient safety through various prevention strategies—for example, through the creation of Health Quality Councils, the dissemination of information on best practices, and tighter regulation of …

Medical Malpractice And Compensation In France, Part I: The French Rules Of Medical Liability Since The Patients' Rights Law Of March 4, 2002, Florence G'Sell-Macrez

Chicago-Kent Law Review

While the French Law of medical malpractice had been mainly based on the Civil Code provisions related to contract law, the Patients Rights' Law of March 4, 2002 set forth general principles regarding the responsibility of health professionals and health institutions which are now in the Code of Public Health. The relatively new Law has modified the legal basis for medical liability, which is now regarded as a "legal regime" that is neither contractual nor tortious. The Patients' Rights Law of March 4, 2002 not only has reaffirmed the principle of fault-based liability in medical malpractice cases, but also allows …

Medical Malpractice And Compensation In South Africa, L. C. Coetzee, Pieter Carstens

Chicago-Kent Law Review

This article gives an overview of current medical malpractice law in South Africa. The following aspects are covered: The overall scheme for preventing and redressing medical errors and adverse events, including regulation, criminal and civil liability, and social and private insurance, and the relationships among these various systems; the details of the applicable liability and compensation systems, including criteria defining qualification for compensation, causation and "loss of chance," liability for failure to obtain informed consent, as well as matters of proof and gathering of evidence. The authors note the difficulty they had in obtaining empirical data on medical errors and …

Medical Malpractice In Austria, Bernhard A. Koch

Chicago-Kent Law Review

This article presents the Austrian law governing compensation for medical malpractice in an overview. After a glimpse at the healthcare and social insurance system, the regulatory framework is outlined, with an obvious particular focus on tort and contract law. Apart from the special case where informed consent is lacking, the various elements of a claim that patients may have mirror the general requirements of tort and contract liability in Austria, which is why the brief sketch may also serve to give at least some basic insight into that part of the legal system in general. Furthermore, peculiar approaches in handling …

Medical Malpractice And Compensation In Germany, Marc S. Stauch

Chicago-Kent Law Review

This paper offers an overview of the rules under German law for securing accountability and redress in cases of medical injury. It is divided into three main parts. Part I looks at the various legal consequences that may apply in such circumstances, including criminal and professional liability of the doctor, the bases for a private law claim by the patient, and the existence of pockets of non-fault based liability for injury from medical products. Part II then considers in greater detail the elements to be satisfied in respect to the two key forms of private law malpractice claim, namely faulty …