O'Connell Jeffrey
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
Milbank Q. 2007 Jun;85(2):287-96. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-0009.2007.00487.x.
Like damages caps, early offer reform promises reduction in the costs of medical liability cases. In contrast to damages caps, early offer reform offers advantages to both claimant and defendant. Under early offer, the defendant would have the option to offer an injured patient periodic payments for the patient's net economic losses as they accrue, but not payments for noneconomic losses (pain and suffering). If an early offer were made and accepted, that would settle the claim. This commentary(1) explains how an early offer reform might work and summarizes data from a recent closed claim study of medical malpractice cases in Texas and Florida. The data show widespread opportunities for successful early offers and provide evidence that substantial per case savings would result.
与损害赔偿上限一样，提前报价改革有望降低医疗责任案件的成本。与损害赔偿上限不同的是，提前报价改革对索赔人和被告都有好处。根据提前报价规定，被告可以选择在受伤患者的净经济损失产生时，定期向其支付赔偿，但不包括对非经济损失（痛苦和折磨）的赔偿。如果提出并接受了提前报价，索赔就会得到解决。本评论解释了提前报价改革可能如何运作，并总结了最近对得克萨斯州和佛罗里达州医疗事故案件的结案索赔研究数据。数据显示了成功进行提前报价的广泛机会，并提供了证据表明每个案件将节省大量费用。
