Another GIM gets exposed and becomes a sad jobless statistic.
This just in from one of my favorite lawyers. Robert B. Surrick, who is the executive director of Politically Active Physicians Association, met recently with other movers and shakers to talk about "Rampant Medical Malpractice Lawsuits." Surrick said he requested the meeting to investigate the impact of doctors of Act 13, which became effective May 22, 2002. Under Act 13, a doctor, when sued for malpractice, is required to notify the Medical Board of the lawsuit. The Medical Board is required to conduct an investigation. Surrick said the Medical Board has received some 5,600 reports of doctors having been sued since the passage of the bill. In other words, 5,600 doctors have been sued for medical malpractice in 30 months. That is about one out of every five doctors practicing in Pennsylvania. To date, out of about 3,600 investigations only four resulted in dismissal. There are still 2,000 investigations working. Surrick said, "the trial lawyers claim that medical malpractice is rampant in Pennsylvania. It would seem that the only thing rampant in Pennsylvania is frivolous lawsuits against doctors resulting in skyrocketing medical malpractice insurance premiums and doctors leaving the state." He said citizens are dying as high-risk specialists such as neurosurgeons leave. Chester County with a population 453,000 and five hospitals, no longer has a full-time neurosurgeon.