North Carolina Doctors Join National Campaign for Federal Liability Reform Legislation; U.S. Senators and Senate Candidates Urged to Support Reform.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

RALEIGH, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 10, 2004

The North Carolina Chapter of Doctors for Medical Liability Reform announced at a news conference held today at 1:30 p.m. at the North Raleigh Hilton, the launch of Protect Patients Now and their support for federal liability reform. DMLR strongly urges Senator John Edwards and all U.S. Senate candidates to join Senator Elizabeth Dole in supporting national medical liability reform legislation. A similar news conference was also held in Charlotte at 10:30 at The Westin Charlotte.

"Starting tomorrow, we're deploying half-hour television newsmagazines here in North Carolina. In a moment, we're going to show you an excerpt from the newsmagazine. But before I show you an excerpt, I want you to know why we're here. North Carolina is one of 19 'crisis' states where escalating jury awards and the high cost of defending against lawsuits have led to colossal increases in medical liability insurance premiums for North Carolina physicians - forcing many to limit services, retire early or move their practices to states with liability reforms in place. In North Carolina, more than 3,000 doctors and hospitals are scrambling to get new coverage and, if they can find it, pay two to three times more than a year ago. Or leave. The citizens of North Carolina cannot afford to lose any more of their doctors; this is why we are here - to tell your story and demand reform," Dr. James Bean, a Kentucky neurosurgeon and national DMLR representative, stated at the news conference.

Doctors for Medical Liability Reform, a newly formed coalition of 230,000 specialty physicians, has unveiled a hard-hitting national media campaign targeted at those U.S. senators who oppose federal medical liability reform legislation.

Participating in the Raleigh news conference:

-- Dr. James Bean, neurosurgeon

-- Dr. John Schmitt, OB-GYN (via videoconference)

-- Dr. Ted LaMaye, Emergency Room physician

-- Dr. John Wilson, neurosurgeon

-- Dr. Charles Hammond, OB-GYN

Dr. Bean launched the initiative and showed a brief segment from the television news magazine. The panel of physicians presented their statements and the group took questions from the media.

The campaign features a 30-minute Protect Patients Now television newsmagazine that will air statewide in targeted states beginning Feb. 11. The newsmagazine highlights the patient access-to-care crisis created by skyrocketing insurance rates that drive physicians out of practice and out of state. During the program, citizens are asked to call their Senators and urge them to support federal medical liability reform legislation. The newsmagazines also illustrate the negative impact a state's access-to-care crisis has on its economic development efforts.

The organization's 230,000 members are specialty physicians from Neurosurgeons to Preserve Health Care Access, the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American College of Emergency Physicians, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons Professional Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Cardiology, the American Academy of Dermatology Association, the National Association of Spine Specialists and the American Urological Association.

The national spokesperson for DMLR and host of the newsmagazine is Dr. Gail Rosseau, a practicing neurosurgeon and director of Cranial Base Surgery at the Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch. Rousseau states that DMLR was created to urge U.S. senators to support federal medical liability reform legislation that includes caps on non-economic damages awarded in medical liability cases. Last July, a handful of senators blocked consideration of medical liability reform legislation, which had passed in the U.S. House of Representatives and is supported by President Bush.

DMLR's national campaign launched Tuesday immediately in the states of Washington and North Carolina. In addition, DMLR is preparing to deploy its campaign in several other key crisis states, including South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Nevada and Pennsylvania.

In addition to the news magazine, DMLR will run full-page advertising in the national editions of USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, beginning Feb. 11. The print ads will focus on Washington state - a state deemed in dire crisis - and will highlight the far-reaching impacts of the crisis on economic and business development.

There are currently 19 states experiencing a medical liability crisis: Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. Of the remaining states, 25 have the potential to be deemed "in crisis." Only six - California, Colorado, Indiana, Louisiana, New Mexico and Wisconsin - are considered stable; all six have longstanding state laws placing caps on non-economic damage awards.

DMLR is dedicated to the passage of comprehensive federal medical liability reform legislation that includes a cap on non-economic damages. "We need access to care everywhere, not just in the few states that have implemented effective reforms," Rosseau said. She explained that the noneconomic portions of damages are often impossible to quantify and are frequently manipulated by plaintiff attorneys and easily inflated. Damages for such things as lost wages, inability to work, medical expense recuperation or long-term care compensation will be fully compensated under reform legislation supported by DMLR.

"Like most Americans, we strongly believe that a wrongful or neglectful medical event should result in full, fair awards," Rosseau said. "It is the unreasonable, lottery-style awards that enrich personal injury attorneys with millions of dollars that are forcing good doctors to give up the work they love and are putting patients at risk of having no access to healthcare."

For more information, visit PatientsPatientsNow.org.