Patient Compensation Without Litigation: A Promising Development
Authors: A. Russell Localio
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2010)

Editorials17 August 2010Patient Compensation Without Litigation: A Promising DevelopmentA. Russell Localio, JD, PhDA. Russell Localio, JD, PhDFrom University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19140.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-153-4-201008170-00010 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail In 1977, Bernzweig (1) eloquently outlined the severe dysfunction in the United States' fault and no-fault injury compensation systems. Although recent legislation seeks to promote patient safety through confidential error reporting (2), the dysfunction persists, and initiatives to compensate injured patients are lacking (3). Advocates of “reform” focus on laws to limit medical liability insurance premiums and costs of the practice of defensive medicine. Common statutory changes, which neglect the predicament of injured patients, are caps on payments for pain and suffering. These caps range about 6-fold across the 50 states, and California's cap, fixed at $250 000 in 1975, has ...References1. Bernzweig EP. The need for a national policy on injury reparations. N Engl J Med. 1977;296:569-70. [PMID: 138090] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005. Pub. L. No. 109-41. Google Scholar3. Wachter RM. Patient safety at ten: unmistakable progress, troubling gaps. Health Aff (Millwood). 2010;29:165-73. [PMID: 19952010] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Lebron v Gottleib Memorial Hospital, US 105741, 105745 (2010). Google Scholar5. The Kaiser Family Foundation. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Harvard School of Public Health. The National Survey on Consumers' Experiences with Patient Safety and Quality Information. Rockville, MD: Kaiser Family Foundation; 2004. Google Scholar6. 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PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoLiability Claims and Costs Before and After Implementation of a Medical Error Disclosure Program Allen Kachalia , Samuel R. Kaufman , Richard Boothman , Susan Anderson , Kathleen Welch , Sanjay Saint , and Mary A.M. Rogers Metrics Cited bySystematic Analysis of Extracting Data on Advance Directives from Patient Electronic Health Records (EHR) in Terminal Oncology PatientsDisclosure, Apology, and Offer Programs: Stakeholders’ Views of Barriers to and Strategies for Broad Implementation 17 August 2010Volume 153, Issue 4Page: 266-267KeywordsDisclosureForecastingHealth careHealth care providersHealth insuranceLegislationMedical lawMotivationPatientsSafety ePublished: 17 August 2010 Issue Published: 17 August 2010 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2010 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...