ABSTRACT
Medical malpractice lawsuits are of great concern to physicians. As a result of these lawsuits, physicians face skyrocketing costs for medical malpractice insurance premiums and patients face shortages of qualified physicians, as more and more physicians decide it is financially impractical to practice in certain medical and=or geographical areas. Such problems are found to be especially rampant in large cities. Various states have dealt with medical malpractice claims differently. New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Miami for example, are at one end of the spectrum. They are the leading cities in the United States for jury verdicts against physicians (1). At the other end is California, which has passed laws limiting the noneconomical damages plaintiffs may be entitled to in such actions. Bills have been considered by the U.S. Congress to implement national limits for noneconomic and punitive damages awards to try to control regional legal=financial disparities.
