Ohio Physicians IMMUNE to Malpractice

[V3n]

Just trying to spread the word and make sure every Ohioan is aware of this recent Ohio Supreme Court ruling..

http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story/I-Team-Suit-Proof-Physicians/MK3tPgpO9USEemiSyWIvpw.cspx


The Ohio Supreme Court has enacted a monumental change that impacts doctors and patients, shifting malpractice judgments from doctors’ insurers to the taxpayers.

The ruling means your private doctor can make a serious medical mistake - take off the wrong leg, operate on the wrong side of your brain - and you can never sue him in a jury trial....

...It boils down to this. In the Theobald case, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that doctors who sign with a state university like the University of Cincinnati to let medical students learn from them, even if that just mean one student walking in the room for a second, now are considered state employees. As such, they get immunity if anything goes wrong on the job, even in their private practices.

This is SCARY folks.. No joke!

(http://digg.com/world_news/Ohio_Physicians_Immune_to_Malpractice_Suits)

[Fox McCloud]

interesting; I wonder if you'd see the vast majority of doctors doing this just so they can drop their malpractice insurance (or is that mandatory insurance?)

In either event, it's sort of a step in the right direction, but a step in the wrong direction too.

They should be allowed to draw up a contract that forbids you from suing them, or they write one up that offers extensive malpractice coverage (or moderate, etc). This would help reduce medical costs for those who wanted to take a bit more of a risk (or they know the doctor isn't one that is prone to making a mistake), but also keep the opportunity open for you to be able to visit a doctor who offers malpractice insurance.