The New York State Unified Court System's Office of Court Administration, in collaboration with the New York State Department of Health and five academic medical centers located in New York City - Beth Israel Medical Center, Maimonides Medical Center, Montefiore Medical Center, Mount Sinai Medical Center, and New York Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia Presbyterian Center -- propose to create and implement the New York State Medical Liability Reform and Patient Safety project to demonstrate the effectiveness of a three-part, medical liability model that puts patient safety first. Select courts and five hospitals, which provide medical care to some of the state's most vulnerable and underserved communities and perform almost 15% of the state's Medicaid-funded deliveries, will serve as project demonstration sites. Together, the hospitals account for over 300,000 discharges annually, about one-third of New York City's inpatient hospital volume, and 32,000 births. New York State's medical liability model is a comprehensive pilot that reforms the medical liability system by building on a recent New York court innovation - judge-directed negotiation - and incorporating evidence-based interventions, including a culture of safety and an early disclosure and settlement program. It strives to reduce preventable injuries, improve doctor/patient communication, and ensure that patients receive fair and quick compensation for medical injuries, while reducing the incidence of frivolous lawsuits and the cost of insurance premiums. The specific project aims are to: 1. Develop a culture of patient safety 2. Develop a hospital-wide environment that enables and promotes complete adverse event reporting 3. Create a hospital Early Disclosure and Settlement model for the Obstetrical and/or Surgery departments 4. Expand and enhance a Judge-Directed Negotiation Program within existing courts 5. Demonstrate the effectiveness of the New York State Medical Liability Reform and Patient Safety Model 6. Disseminate reports and lessons learned 7. Expand the New York State Medical Liability Reform and Patient safety model.
The New York State Medical Liability Reform and Patient Safety Demonstration project takes concrete steps to protect patients from injuries caused by providers'mistakes and reduce the cost of medical malpractice. It promotes the values of transparency and acceptance within hospital culture and mitigates the adversarial nature of claim resolution, enabling providers to accept the mistakes they have made, learn from them, and prevent their recurrence. The model can be replicated throughout New York State and across the nation, with few program modifications, and help build a higher standard of safety in our hospitals.
| Mello, Michelle M; Greenberg, Yelena; Senecal, Susan K et al. (2016) Case Outcomes in a Communication-and-Resolution Program in New York Hospitals. Health Serv Res 51 Suppl 3:2583-2599 |
| Sage, William M; Gallagher, Thomas H; Armstrong, Sarah et al. (2014) How policy makers can smooth the way for communication-and- resolution programs. Health Aff (Millwood) 33:11-9 |
| Mello, Michelle M; Senecal, Susan K; Kuznetsov, Yelena et al. (2014) Implementing hospital-based communication-and-resolution programs: lessons learned in New York City. Health Aff (Millwood) 33:30-8 |
| Mello, Michelle M; Studdert, David M; Kachalia, Allen (2014) The medical liability climate and prospects for reform. JAMA 312:2146-55 |
| Senecal, Susan; Hoyler, Margo M; Cohn, Janet (2013) New York State shows benefits of CRP demonstration project. Bull Am Coll Surg 98:26-8 |
