Last Updated: Sep 9, 2020
On Sept. 8, 2020, Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee Chairwoman Lisa Baker led a hearing to review the February 2020 report of the Legislative Budget & Finance Committee (LBFC) entitled “A Study of the Impact of Venue for Medical Professional Liability Actions.”
The LFBC report studied the potential effects of a proposed Pa. Supreme Court venue rule change – which PAMED and its coalition of stakeholders vehemently oppose – that would allow medical liability lawsuits to take place outside of the county where the alleged malpractice occurred.
PAMED believes that if the current, commonsense venue rule is changed, this has real potential to return our state to the medical liability crisis of the early 2000s, decreasing access to care for patients and driving up health care costs.
View this agenda for the hearing, which includes links to written versions testimony from panelists in attendance.
PAMED Board Chair John Gallagher, MD, attended the hearing and testified on behalf of PAMED. Read a copy of Dr. Gallagher’s testimony. PAMED Board of Trustees member Mark Lopatin, MD, also shared this written testimony with lawmakers.
Additional Resources
View a copy of the LFBC’s report on venue here. And, check out PAMED’s detailed analysis of the report here.
For more information on PAMED’s advocacy to oppose changes to the current venue rule, visit www.pamedsoc.org/venuerule.