Wednesday, March 31, 2004

Georgia hospitals applaud Senate committee tort reform action

The Georgia Senate Health & Human Services Committee last week approved a substitute to House Bill 1028 that if enacted would make significant inroads to Georgia’s civil justice system.

The Committee substitute added language onto Rep. Alan Powell’s (D-Hartwell) bill that creates the Georgia Hospital Insurance Authority to provide hospitals with a medical liability alternative.

The substitute, offered by Sen. Preston Smith (R-Rome), includes changes to Georgia’s civil justice system by creating stronger requirements for those who may quality to testify as an expert witness, brings fairness to medical malpractice lawsuits by making defendants liable for damages in proportion to their degree of fault and helps keep hospital emergency rooms open.

“We applaud the efforts of Representative Powell, Senator Smith and members of the Senate Health & Human Services Committee,” Georgia Hospital Association President Joseph Parker said. “Georgia hospitals and physicians are under tremendous strain in our current tort environment and patient access to care is suffering as a consequence.”

Parker pointed to a 2003 and 2004 study by the Georgia Board for Physician Workforce that one in three OB/GYNs, one in three general surgeons, and one in three radiologists in Georgia plan to stop high-risk procedures, including delivering babies because of the state's tort environment. The report also found that 1,750 Georgia physicians stopped or plan to stop working in hospital emergency rooms due to the high cost of insurance, including one in three plastic surgeons and one in four orthopedic surgeons.

“If the Georgia General Assembly fails to act on tort reform this year, Georgia’s tort environment will continue to deteriorate access to health care and every Georgia resident will continue to pay the price for our out-of-control system,” Parker said. “Eighty-six percent of Georgia voters agree that we must enact legislation to put the scales of justice back in balance.”

Established in 1929, GHA is the leading trade organization of hospitals and health systems in the state providing education, research and risk management services to its more than 180 hospital and health system members. Additionally, it represents and advocates health policy issues benefiting Georgia's citizens before the state legislature and U.S. Congress as well as before regulatory bodies. To learn more about GHA, visit www.gha.org.