Pa. Hospital Association Applauds Med-Mal Legislation

The Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) hailed House passage of a state Senate bill that would limit the practice of venue shopping by plaintiff attorneys, which seek to have medical malpractice liability cases tried in counties with histories of large jury awards.

The provision to limit venue shopping was introduced by Rep. Tom Gannon (R-Delaware County).

“Venue shopping is a practice whose time has passed,” said Carolyn Scanlan, president and CEO of HAP. “This critical tort reform is one more step in the effort to restore fairness, balance, and stability to the liability insurance market and to preserve Pennsylvanians’ access to the world’s best health care.

“I applaud Rep. Gannon and House Majority Leader John Perzel (R-Philadelphia County) for their efforts to move the issue forward,” Scanlan continued. “Pennsylvania’s hospitals look forward to Senate passage of this measure. Today, medical professional liability insurance in Pennsylvania is either unavailable or prohibitively expensive, forcing many hospitals to choose between two unacceptable alternatives: reducing certain staff or services to pay exorbitant premiums, or eliminating some services entirely. It is imperative that we keep doctors practicing, hospital services open, and patients healthy.”