Federal Register: September 21, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 181)
DOCID: fr21se09-100 FR Doc E9-22887
Presidential Documents
Western Area Power Administration
NOTICE: Part III
DOCID: fr21se09-100
DOCUMENT SUMMARY:
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Title 3--
The President
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Memorandum of September 17, 2009
Demonstration Grants for the Development,
Implementation, and Evaluation of Alternatives to the Current Medical Liability System
Memorandum for the Secretary of Health And Human Services
As part of my Administration's ongoing effort to reform
our health care system, we have reached out to members
of both political parties and listened to the concerns
many have raised about the need to improve patient
safety and to reform our medical liability system.
Between 44,000 and 98,000 patients die each year from
medical errors. Many physicians continue to struggle to
pay their medical malpractice premiums, which vary
tremendously by specialty and by State. The cost of
insurance continues to be one of the highest practice
expenses for some specialties. And although malpractice
premiums do not account for a large percentage of total
medical costs, many physicians report that fear of
lawsuits leads them to practice defensive medicine, which may contribute to higher costs.
We should explore medical liability reform as one way
to improve the quality of care and patient-safety
practices and to reduce defensive medicine. But
whatever steps we pursue, medical liability reform must
be just one part of broader health insurance reform--
reform that offers more security and stability to
Americans who have insurance, offers insurance to
Americans who lack coverage, and slows the growth of
health care costs for families, businesses, and government.
In recent years, there have been calls from
organizations like The Joint Commission and the
Institute of Medicine to begin funding demonstration
projects that can test a variety of medical liability
models and determine which reforms work. These groups
and others have identified several important goals and
core commitments of malpractice reform that should
serve as a starting point for such projects. We must
put patient safety first and work to reduce preventable
injuries. We must foster better communication between
doctors and their patients. We must ensure that
patients are compensated in a fair and timely manner
for medical injuries, while also reducing the incidence
of frivolous lawsuits. And we must work to reduce liability premiums.
In 1999, the Congress authorized the Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality, which is located
within the Department of Health and Human Services, to
support demonstration projects and to evaluate the
effectiveness of projects regarding all aspects of
health care, including medical liability. I hereby
request that you announce, within 30 days of this
memorandum, that the Department will make available
demonstration grants to States, localities, and health
systems for the development, implementation, and
evaluation of alternatives to our current medical
liability system, consistent with the goals and core commitments outlined above.
This memorandum is not intended to, and does not,
create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural,
enforceable at law or in equity by any party against
the United States, its departments, agencies, or
entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
[[Page 48134]]
You are authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.
(Presidential Sig.)
THE WHITE HOUSE,
WASHINGTON, September 17, 2009.
[FR Doc. E9-22887
Filed 9-18-09; 11:15 am]
Billing code 4110-60-P