Arbitration of malpractice claims: a hospital-based pilot project.
In summary, the findings of this study indicate that the "simple existence" of an arbitration option and the logistical systems supporting it have produced positive results and have established significant trends in a group of hospitals participating in the Southern California Arbitration Project when compared to a group of Southern California hospitals that have not participated. Albeit inconclusive at this time, the concept may well be a feasible alternative to litigation in securing an expeditious and inexpensive resolution for malpractice cases. Arbitration, in and of itself, is most assuredly no panacea for the critical malpractice problem currently experienced throughout the country; however, its potential substantive contribution toward the resolution of malpractice claims is certainly one worthy of extensive experimentation and evaluation.
D002140:California; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D006761:Hospitals / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007351:Insurance, Liability; D007603:Jurisprudence; D008318:Malpractice; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D013997:Time Factors