|
medpundit |
||
 |
 |
|
Friday, January 03, 2003Parkersburg-area doctors will consider a walkout during a meeting of the state medical association next week, said Dr. David Avery, a Parkersburg family practitioner and former association president. "I'm afraid this is just the first bit," Avery said. "If the governor and the Legislature don't act, this will be spread quickly across the state -- and it will be all physicians, not just surgeons." Michael Roberts, a surgeon at two Parkersburg hospitals, said Thursday there was "a good chance" the five surgeons at those facilities would stage a walkout in two weeks. "We are basically in the same situation as the people in Wheeling," he said, adding that his malpractice insurance rates have jumped 140 percent. "We just can't keep up with the rising costs." Meanwhile... at least one obstetrician had to close her doors in Huntington, West Virginia, because of the crisis: Smith said she received notice from the state Board of Risk and Insurance Management Dec. 19 that she would have to pay four times her current premium for medical malpractice insurance. The increase was from $24,000 to $96,000, she said. Smith appealed the increase and only decided Tuesday that she had to close, she said. The closure will be permanent unless she finds an affordable option for coverage, she said. Smith took a 30-day leave of absence, which would allow her to reopen if she finds a solution. In March, Smith decided to give up obstetrics, hoping that it would reduce her premium. But coverage for practicing gynecology alone was still unaffordable, she said. Smith also gave up obstetrics because she couldn’t recruit a partner to share the workload, a problem she said was related to the medical malpractice climate in West Virginia. Smith, like the surgeons who walked out in Wheeling, is insured by a state run malpractice program: "The state developed this program; however, it’s not affordable," Smith said. "In my situation, I have never lost a lawsuit, but I have had suits filed against me that I had to defend against. The suits were dropped, but it still counted against me, which I think is unfair." So, what’s a West Virginia doctor to do? Become a Virginia doctor: "I can get insurance in all the surrounding states," Smith said. "I looked at North Carolina and Virginia, and they will insure me at half the cost, but I have no other alternative in this area." ..."You have one choice," Smith said. "You put your house up for sale, and you move." As if West Virginia can afford to lose doctors. posted by Sydney on 1/03/2003 07:30:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
|
