Tom Price: “as a third generation physician, I have seen health care in our Nation change in the most dynamic of ways. Advances in…”

“as a third generation physician, I have seen health care in our Nation change in the most dynamic of ways. Advances in medicine and technology have improved the lives of millions of people. Today, however, the doctor-patient relationship that is so critical in providing quality health care is being exploited. It is no wonder that four out of every five Americans are wary of frivolous lawsuits in health care. Insurance companies, personal injury trial lawyers and even the potential of a lawsuit are leading hospitals to close their doors and doctors to stop practicing faster than ever before. Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week begins on October 3, not a moment too soon. Health care decisions must and should be made in the clinic and the operating room, not the courtroom. Decisions should be in the best interests of patients, not in the best interests of the pocketbooks of personal injury lawyers. I have seen it happen myself, with doctors making medical decisions out of fear of lawsuits, not from what they learned in medical school. That is not why they devoted their lives to medicine. Their only desire is to help heal people, not worry about whether their diagnosis would be put on trial. ____________________”