SOME PROGRESS ON EXCESSIVE MALPRACTICE LITIGATION

Reforms to Oklahoma's civil justice system passed last year have contributed to a drop in medical malpractice cases, officials say. "Our claims have gone down as dramatically, if not more dramatically, than Texas' have,'' said State Finance Director Scott Meacham.

Tony Laizure, president of the Oklahoma Trial Lawyers Association, said that from July 2003 to this July, medical negligence cases dropped more than 60 percent in the eight counties whose cases are reported on the Oklahoma Supreme Court Network. Laizure credits tort reform improvements passed by the Legislature in 2003. The new law requires that each case be reviewed by an expert who determines if there was medical negligence.

While the number of cases has dropped, malpractice insurance rates have not and may not for awhile. The Dallas Morning News reported recently that the Texas reform law has not pushed physicians' premiums down, although malpractice cases have declined at least 80 percent in most major Texas counties.

Laizure said the state needs time to see whether two years of reform will produce positive changes. "These rates don't go up overnight and they don't go down overnight,'' he said. "You have to give these things some time to take effect.''

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ANOTHER UNHEALTHY PUBLIC HOSPITAL

In Australia, this time

WA health authorities said today an outbreak of highly contagious Noro virus at Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) was under control, but they were continuing efforts to contain another potentially fatal superbug.

Dr Shirley Bowen, the WA Health Department's director of communicable diseases, today said four patients at RPH had contracted the Noro virus, with three fully recovered and one person still in isolation.

But an RPH spokeswoman said 16 other patients were in isolation after being identified as carriers of the potentially fatal "superbug" vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). RPH has been battling to contain an outbreak of the antibiotic-resistant VRE for the past two weeks. A total of 27 RPH patients have been identified as carriers of VRE, with six people testing positive in the last 24 hours, according to the spokeswoman.

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For greatest efficiency, lowest cost and maximum choice, ALL hospitals and health insurance schemes should be privately owned and run -- with government-paid vouchers for the very poor and minimal regulation.

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