MADISON, WI (WTAQ) – Wisconsin doctors are not being sued nearly as often for the mistakes they might make.
The Director of State Courts said the number of medical malpractice lawsuits fell to an all-time low last year — 84, compared to 140 the previous year. 15 years earlier, almost 300 malpractice suits were filed in Wisconsin courts.
In order to win in court, patients must first file complaints with the state’s Medical Mediation Panels. 118 complaints were filed there last year, the lowest on record.
Milwaukee malpractice lawyer Michael End tells the Journal Sentinel that 99 percent of attorneys don’t want to take malpractice cases. He says many cases are lost that “ought to be won.”
Last year, the Journal Sentinel cited more restrictive state laws for the drops in malpractice suits — at a time when the state’s fund in which doctors help pay to cover malpractice settlements nearly doubled since 2009.
It’s approaching $1.25 billion, the largest fund of its kind in the nation. Mark Grapentine of the state Medical Society says it helps both doctors and patients to limit malpractice suits, while keeping a large insurance fund.
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)