PA medical malpractice claims dropping

New projections have detemined that the rate of medical malpractice claims should fall for the fourth straight year in Pennsylvania, officials there say. According to Gov. Ed Rendell (D), the state's med mal fund will pay out $191 million in claims this year, half of 2003's payout. That suggests that claims are getting smaller, at least, given that the fund pays for claims that rise above the $500,000 level.  Observers credit, in part, a 2002 law which banned attorneys from moving cases to counties they felt would have more favorable juries. Rendell also cited "aggressive judicial and administrative reforms" for the drop in costs. Now, the state's physicians would like to see the state enact caps on non-economic damages.

To learn more about this trend:
- read this article [1] from The Associated Press

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