Linked Life Data

1812852

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/1812852

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
6
pubmed:dateCreated
1991-9-25
pubmed:abstractText
The states of Washington, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho (WAMI) have all had declines in the proportion of physicians offering obstetric services during the past few years, a decline precipitated by rising medical malpractice premiums. One response to the problem of rising liability premiums has been the passage of extensive tort reform legislation. We present the results of recent studies of physicians' obstetric practices in the WAMI states and summarize the major changes in tort legislation and regulation that have occurred in these states. Most general and family physicians in the WAMI region no longer provide obstetric care; by contrast, more than 80% of the obstetrician-gynecologists in the WAMI states are still practicing obstetrics. Despite the fact that only a minority of family physicians are still active in obstetrics, most rural family physicians in all four states still deliver babies. Most physicians in all four states limit the amount of care they provide to those covered by Medicaid, which suggests that significant barriers to care exist for medically indigent persons. All four states have adopted significant tort reforms. Despite these changes in the legal environment, the cost of malpractice premiums and concerns over the likelihood of being sued continue to limit the number of physicians willing to provide obstetric care. Although it cannot be inferred from these data that tort reform has decreased the rate at which physicians give up obstetric practice, the evidence is compatible with such a conclusion.
pubmed:commentsCorrections
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
AIM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jun
pubmed:issn
0093-0415
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
154
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
693-9
pubmed:dateRevised
2009-11-18
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1991
pubmed:articleTitle
Tort reform and the obstetric access crisis. The case of the WAMI states.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Family Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle 98195.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S., Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't