FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 18, 2000

Statement of ISMS President
M. LeRoy Sprang, M.D.
Illinois Supreme Court Ruling
Jones v. Chicago HMO

Chicago - ISMS is pleased with today’s Illinois high court ruling affirming an HMO’s institutional liability for decisions that impact patient care. Just as physicians are accountable to patients, so, too, should be HMOs.

This court decision places Illinois firmly in the column of states that have leveled the liability playing field between physicians, patients and health plans. HMOs are all too often a third party intruder in the physician-patient relationship, and when they are, must be accountable.

To send a comment or question to Dr. Sprang concerning this topic, e-mail her at sprang@isms.org.

The Illinois State Medical Society is a professional organization that represents and unifies its physician members as they practice the science and art of medicine. The Society represents the interests of member physicians, advocates for patients and promotes the doctor/patient relationship, the ethical practice of medicine, and the betterment of the public health.

ISMS permits and encourages reproduction of ISMS news releases with the request that ISMS is credited as the source of the information