Docs have legislature in the waiting room

UPDATED 3:21 p.m. Tuesday -- Sponsor to 'roll' bill one week
Potentially innovative tort-reform measure remains up in the air

Email | Print By Ken Whitehouse

UPDATE: 3:21 p.m. Tuesday:

State Sen. Mark Norris (R-Collierville) has told NashvillePost.com that he will "roll" his medical malpractice tort reform bill one week due to advances in discussions between doctors groups, health care providers, and trial lawyers.

All parties involved have agreed to continue discussions over the course of the next week, according to Norris, who added: "Everyone is at the table."

As originally posted:

The old copies of Highlights and People magazines are as ruffled as the feathers of all those waiting to hear if there will be tort reform on medical malpractice issues this legislative session. Who's got them in the waiting room? The doctors, of course.

NashvillePost.com reported last week that there had been a breakthrough in discussions among the historically disparate groups that oppose each other on these matters.

A compromise of sorts was worked out that would, in the view of NashvillePost.com sources on both sides of the partisan divide, lower the number of medical malpractice claims made in Tennessee and protect the interests of health care providers and trial lawyers alike.

The issue will be on the table at a 3:30 meeting of the Senate Judicary Committee meeting today, but no one knows what will happen.

While most hospital interests, lawyers and citizen watchdog groups have signed off on the proposed plan, they are all stuck in the waiting room waiting to see whether the organizations representing Tennessee's doctors will agree to the compromise or stick to their hard line: either cap medical malpractice claims or do nothing at all. That's where things stand, according to NashvillePost.com sources on both sides of the issue.

Whispers of negotiations between the various health care provider organizations have permeated the halls of the legislature for the past few days. Their have been arguments to take the compromise because it would be the first major step in the process of tort reform, but others say it's not tort reform unless it includes caps.

Should the Senate Judiciary Committee pass legislation that includes caps, tort reform will be practically dead for the year because caps will not pass out of the House Judiciary Committee.

Elected officials on both sides of the aisle tell NashvillePost.com that they are waiting to see which approach the doctors take.