In a letter to the editor of USA Today, American Association for Justice President Burton LeBlanc writes, “The civil justice system provides a key incentive for corporations to act responsibly and prioritize safety from the start. Among many things, our environment is cleaner and our medicine cabinets are safer thanks to individuals and their attorneys who fought for accountability in court.” USA Today “ran an investigative story uncovering the fact that thousands of health care providers are allowed to continue to practice medicine despite repeat errors (‘Thousands of doctors practicing despite errors, misconduct’). Each year, up to 98,000 Americans die from preventable medical errors, but as USA TODAY uncovered, state medical boards and hospitals are failing to report and discipline dangerous health care providers. One of the only sources for accountability is the civil justice system. Hospitals and health care providers have an incentive to put patient safety first when they know they will be held accountable if patients are injured.”
From the American Association for Justice news release.
