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By M. PAUL JACKSON michaelj@leader.net
 Tuesday, January 07, 2003 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1D 





EDWARDSVILLE - Luzerne County's doctors are picking up their scalpels and
going back to work. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Encouraged by state plans to reduce their medical liability insurance
premiums, some county physicians said Monday they would once again start
seeing new patients, but warned that insurance costs could rise in the future. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Only tort reform laws would keep liability insurance premiums from rising,
Dr. Mark Schiowitz said during a media conference at the Thomas R. Saxton
Pavilion. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``To maintain quality care in Pennsylvania, the voters and our leaders must
have the courage to insist we completely revise the manner in which
accusations of negligence are evaluated,'' Schiowitz said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 About 45 Luzerne County specialists - including two of Luzerne County's
largest surgery groups - had scaled back their practices since the summer,
believing unfamiliar patients were more likely to sue. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Schiowitz, a general surgeon, said he had also scaled back his practice but
would start seeing new patients. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The comments came about a week after Gov.-elect Ed Rendell announced plans
to lower physicians' liability insurance rates. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The plan includes eliminating physicians' payments to the 2003 Medical Care
Availability and Reduction of Error Fund, a state-run fund that insures
Pennsylvania physicians. Premium payments to the fund have risen dramatically
since the late 1990s. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Rendell's plans must first be approved by the state Legislature. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Liability insurance rates - the insurance that protects doctors from
malpractice suits - have risen more than 100 percent for high-risk
specialists, including obstetricians and neurosurgeons. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The plan also includes adopting a rule barring attorneys from bringing a
malpractice case without obtaining a ``certificate of merit'' from an outside
physician and providing insurance subsidies for trauma centers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Despite the plan, Schiowitz said other physicians could be forced out of
the state because they are still unable to find affordable insurance. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``We're hopeful'' Rendell's proposals will ease the crisis, ``but at the
same time, we're skeptical,'' he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Doctors have blamed the increases on excessive damage judgments in
malpractice suits, while trial attorneys say poor investments have forced
insurance companies to increase their rates. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``I can't even remember a time in our area when (doctors) spent so much
time thinking about other states and other opportunities,'' said Dr. Thomas
Delehanty, a pulmonary disease physician. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 M. Paul Jackson, a staff writer, may be reached at 829-7134. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Some Docs Again Welcoming New Patients State Plans To Cut Malpractice Rates Have Area Physicians Warily Reopening Their Waiting Room Doors.