The medical malpractice reform
The medical malpractice reform, commonly known as the tort reform, is a policy reform that includes limiting costs involved in medical malpractices, reducing medical errors, and ensuring compensation of patients injured due to medical negligence. I think the reform benefits medical practitioners more than patients. Practitioners are protected from legal lawsuits for causing injuries. Over the years, patients have been compensated through other plans, and doctors were sued for negligence (Baltic, 2014). However, this reform aims at helping the practitioners escape suing for their malpractices. Patient safety may reduce as medical practitioners will feel protected by policy reform. The policy regulators are skeptical about using the policy against doctors, even though they use it to protect them.
The tort reform will result in increased costs of healthcare for the hospitals. The tort reform protects the practitioners while ensuring that the patients are compensated for the damages imposed on them. The institutions are responsible for the compensation costs, implying that the doctors’ insurance covers will be ineffective in helping compensate patients. Hospitals will have to implement tough measures to prevent medical injuries (Baltic, 2014). By reducing medical injuries, hospitals will avoid the burden of treating the patients injured in medical practice. Healthcare institutions will have to formulate new governing policies for ensuring practitioners have minimal errors.
I was surprised to learn that medical reform will lead to increased healthcare outcomes. The reform will lead to better relationships between patients and practitioners. Consequently, the practitioners will be free to share the adverse effects of treatment with their patients. By sharing with the patients, the healthcare system will achieve improved quality (Baltic, 2014). The patients will also have eased ways of accessing compensation for their injuries. I was surprised to earn these two truths.