Another Idea for Medical Malpractice
HoustonChronicle.com - License to kill: Bad doctors can wreak havoc in Texas
Eric Scheffey ... poster child for those who suggest that a mere $250,000 cap on non-economic damages is all it would take to make health care better.
Even after warnings and other disciplinary action - even after Scheffey was arrested driving a car containing cocaine and admitted that he had used cocaine for at least 18 months, the board elected to put him on probation rather than pulling his license.Armed with greater resources for investigation, the medical examiners board is expected to rule on Scheffey's case in February. The board will end Scheffey's medical career, belatedly, or forfeit any claim to be acting in the public interest.
The truth about malpractice is that most patients harmed by medical procedures don't sue. Most of those who do sue get little or no compensation. As for frivolous lawsuits, the conservative, Republican civil district judges in Harris County say they encounter few frivolous lawsuits that merit dismissal.
Supporters of tort reform - a movement that has systematically reduced citizens' ability to win compensation from those who harmed them - promise that state authorities are going to get tough on the bad doctors and other care providers. Until the last bad doctor is rooted from the profession, the duty of the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners will not be done.