Lead article by Karen Ignagni

Softbound, 42 pp, Fall 2003,
ISSN 0748-8157
Order code: WWW1-J476,
Price: $29.00

The skyrocketing costs and detrimental effect of medical malpractice are wreaking havoc on the U.S. healthcare system. Good physicians are retiring prematurely to avoid paying astronomical insurance rates, and "defensive medicine" is the result. The volume of medical malpractice cases is increasing, and the awards are at an all-time high. The healthcare industry cannot sustain itself under such forces, and remedy is desperately needed.

Karen Ignagni's lead article supports a systematic approach that brings malpractice costs under control while at the same time protecting patients and improving the quality of care. Lawsuits have eroded the trust and quality of care necessary for an effective healthcare system. If healthcare managers want to improve the transparency, accountability, and overall effectiveness of the healthcare system, malpractice liability reform must be a part of the foundation on which a new system is built.

Commentaries by a hospital CEO, the president of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the president of the Physician Insurers Association of America, and a professor of law provide thought-provoking responses to Ms. Ignagni's lead article.