New Findings Released on Medicare Reform and Medical Malpractice Litigation Award Limits

Marketing Research firm, MedMark, publishes new findings on Medicare and medical malpractice issues based on research of leading healthcare companies.

Houston, TX - MedMark announced today the release of its new study based on the healthcare plans discussed in the recent 2003 Presidential State of the Union Address in which President Bush called for Medicare reform and malpractice litigation award limits. It also addresses components of the Medicare plan presented in Mr. Bushs March 4th AMA Convention speech.

MedMark, a full-service healthcare marketing research firm, collected reactions from prominent healthcare executives and providers nationwide. Representatives from leading healthcare organizations were interviewed for the study in which they shared their opinions on President Bushs reform proposals. Specifically, the healthcare representatives provided recommendations on how to allocate the $400 million that President Bush would use to strengthen" Medicare and provide medical malpractice reforms that would limit lawsuit awards.

This research takes an in-depth look at the underlying problems with the current Medicare healthcare program in America," said Angela Demery, MedMarks Director of Research and also the coordinator of the study, as well as the impact that medical lawsuits have on the industry as a whole."

"Key findings that emerged", Demery said, highlighted the need for total structural reform of the Medicare system".
KEY FINDINGS:

Medicare & Healthcare Reform
Ø To reduce the future cost of prescription drugs, the federal government should directly fund the medical research & development of all new drugs.
Ø The current Medicare system cannot be patched" or retro-fitted". It needs to be modernized and significantly restructured to meet the increased needs of todays society.
Ø Medicares practice of covering few prescription drugs encourages doctors and their patients to choose more costly physician and hospital services.

Medical Litigation Reform
Ø Placing limits on medical malpractice awards will result in the reduction of medical malpractice insurance premiums for physicians and healthcare institutions; the savings of which will be passed on to patients.
Ø Physicians and healthcare providers will continue to be forced out of excessively litigious states and into more healthcare friendly" states, if limits are not placed on medical malpractice awards.

For medical malpractice reform, Demery stated that the healthcare industry welcomed change.

Being sued has become a part of practicing medicine," said Demery. Many doctors across the nation are now the easy targets for thousands of medical malpractice lawyers. As a result, the professionals interviewed all stated they wanted to see changes in tort reform, insurance assistance to doctors and compensation limits."

The 23-page report has already been published by Med-Mark and is available to the media. To obtain a copy of the report, please contact MedMark at 713-482-6550.

ABOUT MEDMARK
MedMark is a full-service market research firm specializing in customized healthcare market research and consulting services. Based in Houston, MedMark provides healthcare clients support in building and sustaining market share, ROI, and brand leadership. To learn more about MedMark, please visit www.med-mark.com.