05/25/2012    

MALPRACTICE NEWS

Industry Leaders Voice Optimism on Curbing Defensive Medicine

Undertaking extensive efforts to improve the quality of care provided has not mitigated malpractice costs—including the cost of defensive medicine—for some providers, but it may in the future, representatives of several providers undertaking delivery reforms told a Senate panel.

Dr. Lee Sacks, chief medical officer for Advocate Health Care, based in Oak Brook, IL, told the Senate Finance Committee that the health system's medical liability costs were $90 million in 2011, despite the broad use of a model quality improvement system since 2004. Sacks was joined by Dr. Richard Migliori, executive vice president of UnitedHealth Group, in expressing optimism that the expanded adoption of quality-improvement efforts, such as ACOs, will reduce the use of costly defensive medicine.

Source: Rich Daly, Modern Healthcare [5/23/12]