FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 7, 2005
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Laurie Peacock
312-580-6497
(cell) 312-608-3620
Illinois Medical Organizations Stand United on Urgent Need for
Medical Litigation Reform; Urge State Lawmakers to Act Now
Chicago – Fifty-one physician organizations representing the overwhelming majority of Illinois’ medical community, today pledged their support for meaningful medical litigation reform, and expressed alarm at the Illinois General Assembly’s tenor of debate and lack of action to date on the issue. Signed by a diverse cross section of Illinois medical associations and physician groups, the joint letter delivered today to the Illinois General Assembly calls for passage of caps on non-economic damage awards and the other remedies detailed in SB 150 and HB 705, now before state lawmakers for consideration. The full text and a list of signing organizations are attached.
The letter sends a clear message that, “When ISMS speaks on medical litigation reform, you can be assured the Society speaks for all of Illinois’ physicians.” Furthermore, it debunks the notion perpetuated by plaintiff lawyers that more insurance regulation will solve the current crisis. “We will not accept onerous insurance reform as the ‘solution’ for Illinois litigation excesses. The problem is not with our insurers,” the groups assert, pointing out there are already too few liability insurers in Illinois to meet demand. “We will not be divided, as the crisis continues to erode our patients’ access to care.”
Kenneth J. Printen, M.D., ISMS president, offered gratitude and praise to the physician signatories of the letter. “I am not at all surprised by the outpouring of support and concern from Illinois doctors. Physicians understand how the migration of doctors out of Illinois is eroding acces to medical care. We decry the political gamesmanship of personal injury attorneys and their Democratic supporters, aimed at diverting real resolution of the crisis.”
Dr. Printen emphasized, “The best medicine for our state’s illness is a $250,000 limit on non-economic damage awards in medical liability lawsuits. Caps, such as those contained in SB 150 and HB 705, deliver predictability and rationality to the medical liability insurance market, and have been proven to work in many other states.”
The Illinois State Medical Society is a professional medical association representing over 14,000 physicians
practicing in all specialties statewide.
April 7, 2005
Dear Members of the Illinois General Assembly:
As Illinois physician organizations, we have profound concerns over the tone of early legislative discussions regarding medical liability reform in Illinois. We join together to voice our unified support for the Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS), and its endorsed legislation (SB 150 and HB 705). The members of our organizations, listed below, have waited far too long for legislation to fix Illinois’ broken medical litigation system. We will not be divided, as the crisis continues to erode our patients’ access to care.
We reject plaintiff attorneys’ attempts to misdirect and mislead the debate on this issue. To suggest that ISMS does not adequately represent all of medicine because not all Illinois doctors belong to the Medical Society is ludicrous. Accepting this logic is akin to accepting that an elected official does not represent the constituents of his or her district because some of those constituents did not vote – or did not vote for the elected representative. Through ISMS, the physicians of Illinois speak with one voice on medical litigation reform.
We are also concerned that the focus of the public hearings held in March was intentionally misdirected and did not tackle the root of this crisis. We will not accept onerous insurance reform as the “solution” for Illinois litigation excesses. The problem is not with our insurers. There are already too few insurers in Illinois. Currently, only five insurers write nearly all of the business in our state, down from over 30 insurers only a few short years ago. A basic understanding of business tells us that making the Illinois market more cumbersome will further decrease the likelihood insurers will return.
The groups listed below represent a wide cross section of medical interests in our state. Some of our respective members choose to belong to ISMS, and some do not. Regardless of doctors’ affiliation with ISMS, one message is clear. All doctors in our state and the patients they treat are calling for passage of meaningful medical litigation reform. Meaningful reform means capping non-economic damage awards, as well as the other measures contained in HB 705 and SB 150.
We rely on ISMS for its experienced leadership in Springfield, and our government relations and lobbying teams work hand-in-hand with ISMS on this and other critical issues for physicians and our patients. When ISMS speaks on medical litigation reform, you can be assured the Society speaks for all of Illinois’ physicians.
Thank you for giving serious consideration to these comments.
Sincerely,
Adams County Medical Society
American College of Surgeons Illinois Chapter
The Carbondale Clinic
Carle Clinic Association
Champaign County Medical Society
Chicago Medical Society
Chicago Society of Plastic Surgeons
Chicago Urological Society
The Christie Clinic
Cook County Physicians Association
Downstate Chapter of the American College of Physicians
DuPage County Medical Society
Illinois Association of Ophthalmology
Illinois Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons
Illinois Chapter of the American College of Cardiology
Illinois College of Emergency Physicians
Illinois Dermatological Society
Illinois Medical Oncology Society
Illinois Psychiatric Society
Illinois Section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Illinois Society of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
Illinois Society of Anesthesiologists
Illinois Society of Pathologists
Illinois Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Illinois State Medical Society
Illinois State Neurosurgical Society
Illinois State Radiological Society
Illinois Surgical Society
Illinois Urological Society
Indian American Medical Association (Illinois)
Jackson County Medical Society
Kankakee County Medical Society
Lake County Medical Society
LaSalle County Medical Society
Macon County Medical Society
Madison County Medical Society
McLean County Medical Society
Metro Chicago Chapter of the American College of Surgeons
Northern Illinois Chapter of the American College of Physicians
OB/GYN Crisis Coalition
Peoria Medical Society
Rock Island County Medical Society
Rockford Anesthesiologists Associated, LLC
Saint Clair County Medical Society
Sangamon County Medical Society
Springfield Clinic
Statewide Medical Association to Save Healthcare
Tazewell County Medical Society
Will Grundy County Medical Society
Williamson County Medical Society
Winnebago County Medical Society