future in Florida

[lucas]

I have a few interviews in Florida, but I was disturbed by something I read on Scutwork. It reads: Drawbacks [to practicing in Florida]...Florida has poor medicaid reimbursements and a whole lot of lawyers, and currently no tort reform. It may not be the ideal practice environment once you finish [residency]

Can someone explain 1) why Florida has poor medicaid reimbursement and 2) whats tort reform?

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[ny skindoc]

Florida is a very litiginous state..many trial lawyers scouting out business.Malpractice premiums are among the highest in the US.On the other hand there is stong demand for medical services among the growing population of the state.Other states have introduced legal(tort) reform to limit damages and control skyrocketing insurance costs.Eventually Florida will end up doing it,but there is a strong lawyers lobby there.Medical practice in every state has its pros and cons but I would think twice about doing ob-gyn or surgical specialties there.internal medicine and Family Practice and the like should be ok.You dont have to accept Medicaid if you dont want to,few doctors do in NY state where medicaid fees are also very low.

 

[lucas]

Originally posted by ny skindoc
Florida is a very litiginous state..many trial lawyers scouting out business.Malpractice premiums are among the highest in the US.On the other hand there is stong demand for medical services among the growing population of the state.Other states have introduced legal(tort) reform to limit damages and control skyrocketing insurance costs.Eventually Florida will end up doing it,but there is a strong lawyers lobby there.Medical practice in every state has its pros and cons but I would think twice about doing ob-gyn or surgical specialties there.internal medicine and Family Practice and the like should be ok.You dont have to accept Medicaid if you dont want to,few doctors do in NY state where medicaid fees are also very low.

Thanks for your answer. Actually, I am pursuing a career in Surgery, perhaps a fellowship in colorectal or SICU. Would you recommend against a career in Florida for these surgical subspecialties?

 

[jagatei]

I am currently in Florida and what others have said is basically true. We have a lot of lawyers here. Basically, we have a huge population of elderly people. Unfortunately, many of these people die, and most often not due to the fault of any doctor or medical staff. The lawyers however, view any death in the care of medical personell as malpractice. This leads to lots of lawsuits, most of which get settled out of court so the insurance company loses money and raises premiums.

Nursing homes have actually been having problems finding on staff doctors since many insurance companies will not insure a doc working at a home and if they do they are forced to charge huge amounts to do so.

There was also a proposed law that basically said that if a doctor settles or loses three malpractice claims, they lose their license in the state. It has come to the legislature a couple of times but usually gets killed when all of the doctors threaten to leave and the lawyers fear they won't have anybody to sue anymore.

The state government is also slightly bi-polar on the issue of health care. They start up a new medical school to get more docs, then refuse to pass reforms that could help existing docs practice more affordably and lower costs. I tend to think this is because most of the elected officials are of course lawyers.

 

[ny skindoc]

Malpractice is not only a concern in Florida. Many other states have a similar type of situation.I would not avoid a career in Fla in your chosen specialty just for this reason.Just be aware of the potential issues.