Special Health Court Proposed

From an Op-Ed piece by Philip K. Howard, a lawyer, is the chairman of Common Good, a legal reform coalition, and the author of “Life Without Lawyers: Liberating Americans From Too Much Law.”

This country has a long tradition of courts and tribunals to deal with issues like bankruptcy that require special expertise. Nowhere is that expertise, along with the stability and trust it would bring, more needed than in health care.

Several prominent hospitals, including New York Presbyterian, have said they are interested in being part of a health court pilot project. Some large consumer and patient safety groups support the idea. The fastest way to do this would be for Congress to authorize and finance pilot courts around the country. These ideas already have some bipartisan support: Bills for alternative medical justice systems have been introduced in Congress.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/opinion/02howard.html?_r=1