Sen. Kevin Coughlin Offers SB88-Sponsor Testimony to Committee

On Tuesday Sen. Kevin Coughlin (R-Cuyahoga Falls) urged House Judiciary Committee members to consider a mandatory arbitration pilot for medical negligence claims in seven Northeast Ohio counties. This was the first step in moving the bill through the house of representatives after Senate Bill 88, the AMC/NOMA-backed proposed legislation, passed the Ohio Senate earlier this year. Because various forms of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) have proven their merit in other states and legal venues, Coughlin said Ohio would be “a pioneer” in implementing the arbitration bill. Citing recent malpractice insurance statistics, the senator argued that many specialists in our region are unaffected by the rate decreases. “Our doctors are still hurting,” he said. 

The AMC/NOMA will continue to monitor SB 88s progress—to read comprehensive archived history, full text and analysis of this important legislation, go to the homepage of www.amcnoma.org.