Letters to the Editor 
Letter to the Editor of the Chicago Tribune Re: "Hope for the Future"
Wed, 22 Dec 2004 00:00:00 -0500
Despite the cold temperatures outside, Illinois citizens are feeling the heat from living in the state that can boast of having the number one and number two judicial hellholes within our borders Madison and St. Clair counties in southern Illinois.
Letter to the Editor of the Chicago Sun-Times Re: "'Technology no remedy for this moral dilemma'"
Mon, 13 Dec 2004 00:00:00 -0500
I was pleased to read the opinions expressed in your editorial: Technology no remedy for this moral dilemma (12/2/04). Physicians often bear witness to the grief and complex emotions experienced by family members in response to the pain and despair of their loved ones who are terminally ill. It is especially painful for parents to look on, as a newborn infant suffers through an illness that will unquestionably lead to death. However, we cannot let these experiences mask or supersede medicines obligations for the provision of care.
Letter to the Editor of the Papers Statewide Re: "People Have Spoken"
Tue, 16 Nov 2004 00:00:00 -0500
Votes are in and the people have spoken. In elections across the state, Illinois citizens signaled their strong desire for state legislators to pass and the courts to uphold meaningful solutions to Illinois health care access crisis. It is clear: the General Assembly has a mandate to act. What is not clear is why medical litigation reform stalled in the first place.
Letter to the Editor of the Pioneer Press Re: "Care Crisis"
Tue, 16 Nov 2004 00:00:00 -0500
Dr. Grassis recent open letter about our states access to care crisis (November 11th Pioneer Press editions) caught my attention. The piece clearly illustrates the frustration felt by many physicians who are wrestling with decisions about how to continue to provide high quality health care to patients and, at the same time, manage skyrocketing liability premiums.
Letter to the Editor of the AMNews Re: "Fight to Remove Physicians from the Execution Process"
Tue, 16 Nov 2004 00:00:00 -0500
I read with interest your October 25 article, In the Execution Chamber. Illinois is a model state in the fight to remove physicians from the execution process. Since the first widely publicized physician assisted execution took place in Illinois in September 1990, the Illinois State Medical Society has led the way in protesting this unethical involvement by health care professionals.
Letter to the Editor of The Southern Re: "Medical Liability Premiums"
Mon, 15 Nov 2004 00:00:00 -0500
There is no doubt that medical liability premiums are too high (Doctors Predict Large Insurance Hikes, November 9, 2004). Illinois physicians pay the second and third highest premiums in the nation in some specialties. However, those who are looking to blame liability insurers are misguided at best.
Letter to the Editor of the Chicago Sun-Times Re: "'yes', Doctors Are Leaving Illinois"
Tue, 2 Nov 2004 00:00:00 -0500
To answer your opening question: yes, doctors are leaving Illinois (Illinois has more doctors, but specialists may be fleeing October 31, 2004). Your assertion that our state has more doctors because licensing numbers are up is a myth perpetuated by those who wish only to downplay Illinois health care access problems.
Letter to the Editor of the The Southern Illinoisan Re: "Efforts to Highlight the Need for Reform to the Medical Litigation System in Illinois"
Wed, 20 Oct 2004 00:00:00 -0500
We appreciate The Southern Illinoisans efforts to highlight the need for reform to the medical litigation system in Illinois, but we are compelled to clarify gross misconceptions that appeared in the October 14th article: Unlike Four Other States, Illinoisans will not Vote on the Malpractice Issue. ISMIE Mutual Insurance Company (ISMIE) and Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS) are two independent organizations.
Letter to the Editor of the Chicago Sun-Times Re: "Health Care Crisis"
Thu, 30 Sep 2004 00:00:00 -0500
I applaud the Sun-Times for its thoughtful editorial on Illinois health care crisis (Compromise is the only way to solve malpractice dilemma, Sept. 20). If the renewed negotiations are to bear any fruit, all sides must be willing to discuss all proposals aimed at improving access to health care for our states citizens.
Letter to the Editor of Crain's Chicago Business Re: "Health Care Access Crisis in this State"
Wed, 7 July 2004 00:00:00 -0500
The number of medical licenses on file with the Department of Professional Regulations tells nothing about the number of doctors actually practicing medicine in Illinois. This faulty comparison is yet another poor attempt to downplay the health care access crisis in this state.
Letter to the Editor of Crain's Chicago Business Re: "Supports Patient Access to Meaningful Information on Physicians"
Tue, 29 June 2004 00:00:00 -0500
The Illinois State Medical Society wholeheartedly supports patient access to meaningful information on physicians and health care. However, simply making public the number of complaints and lawsuits filed, as suggested in your article, In the dark on Illinois docs, does not paint an accurate picture of a doctors skill or competence.
Letter to the Editor of the Chicago Sun-Times Re: "Medical Liability Reform"
Wed, 7 Apr 2004 00:00:00 -0500
The best prescription for achieving creative and helpful changes to our states current health care crisis is less rhetoric and more meaningful discussions on medical liability reform. It is truly amazing how so many intelligent individuals can reach such disparate conclusions by looking at the same information. Its scary that all of this hot air, as it has been described, will not likely produce a guarantee of access to health care for the poor, the uninsured, and those who happen to live in areas most affected by the present doctor flight from this state.
Letter to the Editor of the Chicago Tribune Re: "Meaningful Medical Liability Reform"
Thu, 22 Jan 2004 00:00:00 -0500
Plaintiff attorneys are attempting to distort the case for meaningful medical liability reform by blaming insurance company practices for Illinois deteriorating medical liability climate. They assert that insurance regulation will solve the crisis here. This couldnt be further from the truth. Layering additional regulation on the insurance industry will do nothing to bring control to our legal system and preserve access to medical care for our patients.