Fewer Pennsylvanians Sue For Medical Malpractice
By: Charlotte Ames
Updated: April 20, 2010
Fewer Pennsylvanians are suing over bad medical care. New data shows a 44% decline in the number of medical malpractice suits filed, since the early part of the decade. The number of these lawsuits dropped by nearly 60% in Philadelphia, which has the largest caseload.
Changes in the law now require that attorneys obtain a certificate of merit from a medical professional, that the medical procedures in a case fall outside acceptable standards.
The latest statistics show that 2009 had a high rate of verdicts favorable to doctors and hosptials, and no awards to patients of more than $10 million.
