PROFESSIONAL
LIABILTY REFORM
The Illinois Academy of
Family Physicians, representing family physicians in every part
of the state, calls on the Illinois General Assembly to pass
meaningful medical malpractice reform.
Family
physicians care for 70 percent of the
Illinois
population and handle
over 85 percent of the healthcare issues presented.
Without family physicians, every county in
Illinois
would be designated as
a full or partial Health Professional Shortage Area, meaning not
enough physicians to take care of the population.
Family
Physicians provide the full range of services vital to caring
for our state:
- Family
physicians see more Medicaid patients than any other medical
provider.
- Family
physicians mirror the demographics of the state and are more
likely to practice in rural settings than other types of
physicians.
- Family
physicians are the single largest source of healthcare
services for
Illinois
í 1.75 million uninsured people, 15.9 percent of the
population.
- Family
physicians deliver the most comprehensive and broadest range
of healthcare services.
Family
Physician practices are vital to our economy:
-
Family
Physicians create over 109,000 jobs in
Illinois
, over 29,000 in
rural areas
-
Family
Physician practices create over $2 billion in salary income
for our state
What
does real reform mean?
Meaningful
legislation would include the following principles:
- Inform
juries of prior insurance payments to patients;
- Cap
non-economic damages equal to those of other states*;
- Establish
proportionate liability, so that defendants pay their share
of a malpractice award based on the proportion of which they
are liable**;
- Create
a reasonable statute of limitations for filing cases; and
- Allow
periodic payments for damages greater than $500,000;
*Non-economic damages
do not include payments for continuing care, lost wages, or any
other costs directly associated with the medical needs of the
patient.
**Proportionate
liability will ensure that family physicians are not held liable
for the decisions made by a sub specialist without the knowledge
of the primary family physician.
