Pennsylvania physicians performing high risk procedures are dropped from liability insurance coverage

     A recent survey commissioned by the Pennsylvania Medical Society and the Pennsylvania Orthopedic Society, indicated a significant number of physicians performing high-risk, life saving procedures, have been dropped by their liability insurance carriers.  The survey, conducted by Susquehanna Polling Research, included responses from 855 high-risk specialists in Pennsylvania, representing orthopedic surgeons, obstetrician/gynecologists, neurosurgeons, plastic surgeons, and cardiologists.  Thirty-one percent of the participating physicians had their existing liability insurance cancelled or non-renewed for 2002.  Of these physicians nearly, 22% of them had not been able to secure new insurance for 2002.

     "This study is a clear indication of the horrible mess healthcare is in today," states Howard A. Richter, MD, president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society.  "These are doctors who on a daily basis see patients in severe conditions that need immediate attention to save their lives.  But, if they do not have liability insurance, they will not be able to help patients."  Dr. Richter also added, that according to Pennsylvania law, a doctor is prohibited from practicing medicine without the appropriate insurance coverage.

     The Pennsylvania Medical Society has urged Governor Schweiker to carry out some form of executive order to stop gap action and give the Pennsylvania legislature time to act on the problem when they return in late January.  In the letter addressed to the governor, Dr. Richter wrote, "The painful medical liability insurance affordability squeeze has become a patient access-to-care crisis."