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April 1 seminar to address medical malpractice by Cindy Abole Public Relations Educating and preparing resident-physicians who are entering private practice with the reality of South Carolina’s medical malpractice scene is the focus of an April 1 panel discussion. The seminar is the final in a tripartite medical malpractice series coordinated and sponsored by MUSC Office of Graduate Medical Education (GME) and speakers Richard Gershon and William Murphy. “Physicians need to be aware of this and its impact on them, their patients and the medical care system,” said Franklin Medio, Ph.D., associate dean for Graduate Medical Education. “Malpractice is an area that cuts across the spectrum of all medical specialties affecting all physicians. And as physicians start out in clinical practice, they need to be aware of the details concerning malpractice insurance and the state they practice; who pays for it; what exactly does it cover; plus other issues.” The series was organized to enhance GME’s current core curriculum addressing physicians and America’s current medical liability crisis. Each seminar has featured presentations by local professionals and practitioners in legal practice, insurance underwriters and financial experts, and other expertise. This mid-day program, held at the Storm Eye Institute auditorium, is a panel discussion featuring a multidisciplinary group of experts focusing on the state of medical malpractice in South Carolina.  According to Medio, the nation’s medical liability system is fragmented due to a combination of soaring medical liability premiums and health care costs, America’s “win the lottery” mentality as a litigious society, and other relevant issues.  In March, South Carolina joined Georgia and dozens of other states that passed and upgraded their laws concerning malpractice or tort reform. It specifically places caps or dollar limits on jury awards in medical malpractice lawsuits. Prior to that, medical schools and residency education programs  incorporated curricula promoting discussion and teaching of physicians-in-training regarding these proposed laws and its affect in physician practice and patient care.  MUSC resident and attending physicians employed by MUSC or MUHA are protected by the South Carolina Insurance Reserve Fund, which is administrated by the S.C. Budget and Control Board. As state employees, it provides resident-physicians and dentists with up to $1.2 million in medical malpractice coverage while practicing within the scope of their MUSC duties and throughout their medical education training. Upon completion of their training, physicians are on their own in acquiring medical liability coverage.  “MUSC does a superb job in training physicians regarding the clinical side of medicine,” said Lisa Kindy, J.D., director of MUSC’s Office of Clinical Risk Management. “What GME is providing prepares resident-physicians for the real-world. And in the real world, physicians have to be aware of the legal arena now more than ever. What this program provides is so instrumental.”  In addition to teaching physicians about litigation during mock depositions, GME plans to introduce physicians to other related topics including negotiating clinical group practice contracts, legal agreements, etc.  Another group supporting GME’s effort in teaching practitioners about medical malpractice reform is the South Carolina Medical Association (SCMA).  “The issue of tort reform in South Carolina has been one of the greatest unifying forces for physicians in this state and throughout the country,” said Kelby Hutcheson, M.D., a fourth-year anesthesiology resident and active resident-member of the SCMA. “Physicians have been actively involved in statewide and national political events and other advocacy on behalf of their patients and the provision of care they receive in their communities. Addressing this issue has done a lot to strengthen the physician-patient relationship and preserve the community-service component that draws physicians into an area of specialized medicine and the choices of where they provide care.” The series also included topics and previous presentations on liability and practice management, practice strategies and guidelines.          Friday, April 1, 2005 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.