Quell the Crisis

Although the General Assembly has vacated Springfield, the fight for reform is not over. You can help by informing your patients about the health care crisis in Illinois with the help of Reality Medicine’s The Medical Litigation Crisis, a booklet developed for ISMIE Mutual policyholders and ISMS members. The publication discusses the problem, the solutions and the myths surrounding the crisis. Here is a brief excerpt.

MYTH “Bad doctors” are to blame for the current litigation crisis.
FACT “Good doctors” are getting sued at an increasing rate.

• Doctors in high-risk specialties, like obstetrics/gynecology, neurosurgery and orthopedics, have more lawsuits filed against them because they take on the most difficult cases. For example, obstetricians who perform high-risk procedures get sued approximately every 18 months.
• Eighty percent of medical liability claims filed are dismissed without any form of pay out, showing the high volume of non-meritorious claims filed.
• ISMIE Mutual reports that 94 percent of its payments for settlements and verdicts in the last five years were made on behalf of physicians with only one or two losses.

Armed with the facts, you can help quell the crisis. Download your free copy of The Medical Litigation Crisis at www.realitymedicine.com or call 312-782-1654, ext. 1678; toll-free 1-800-782-4767, ext. 1678.