Statement of ISMS President James L. Milam, M.D.

Chicago, Illinois — The Illinois State Medical Society is extremely pleased that, today, the Illinois Supreme Court spoke with a unanimous voice and, respecting firm legal precedent, reversed a flawed appellate court ruling in Tedrick v. Community Resource Center, Inc.

As doctors, our first duty must always be to our patients.  Fortunately, the high court agreed, and averted a serious diminishment of doctor-patient confidentiality – the bedrock of the patient-physician relationship.

The decision in this case also forestalled continuing attempts by personal injury lawyers to expand the grounds for medical malpractice lawsuits in Illinois.  This is a welcome development in light of our fragile medical liability climate, which is just beginning to heal after enactment of comprehensive reforms in 2005. We hope the Supreme Court will continue to recognize the importance of such laws in preserving patient access to medical care.

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www.isms.org 

Illinois Supreme Court Opinion

 http://www.state.il.us/COURT/Opinions/SupremeCourt/2009/September/104861.pdf