Medical Malpractice Forums

The University of Maryland School of Law, a neutral convener in two prior conferences addressing conflicts in the health care field, hosted a third conference to bring together representatives from a variety of disciplines to continue the conversation regarding health care in Maryland.

The first part of the conference, Part 1: The New Medical Malpractice Legislation: Issues Implementation & Impact, took place on September 23, 2005. The day long conference provided an overview of the new medical malpractice legislation, including its major provisions and the policy tensions and political compromises that led to its passage. Beginning with a moderated panel discussion between Speaker of the House of Delegates, Delegate Michael Busch, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Brian Frosh, and the Deputy Legislative Officer in the Office of the Governor, Donald Hogan,the three provided insight into the evolution of the legislation and the negotiations that eventually led to its passage. The day continued with various panels of experts and practitioners speaking on the issues and implementation provisions presented by HB2. Such topics included tort reform, alternative dispute resolution, patient safety, data reporting, and the rate stabilization fund. The conference was attended by approximately 75 people representing the state legislature, doctors, health care administrators, lawyers, patient advocates, and dispute resolution practitioners. All had the opportunity not only to hear from experts in the field, but also to ask questions and begin conversing with other conference attendees.

Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates, Delegate Michael Busch

Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Brian Frosh

Deputy Legislative Officer, Office of the Governor, Donald Hogan

Part 2: Beyond the New Medical Malpractice Legislation: New Opportunities, Creative Solutions, and Best Practices for Patient Safety, Tort Reform and Patient Compensation occurred on October 28, 2005. This focused beyond the legislation and included information on a variety of new approaches being implemented in different states and on the federal level. The day began with a keynote presentation by Rosemary Gibson, author of The Wall of Silence, on the topic of patient safety. Panels followed on the topics of early intervention practices, patient/doctor communication, and health courts. The afternoon concluded with the annual Rome Lecture on “The Role of Medicare in Medical Malpractice Reform” by William Sage followed by a panel discussion of his colleagues. This conference too brought representatives from all areas of health care together to learn about new alternatives and network with others.

To order materials from the conference please send an email to

The following materials are available for purchase:

Part 1: The New Medical Malpractice Legislation: Issues Implementation & Impact
Conference Materials- $20

Part 2: Beyond the New Medical Malpractice Legislation: New Opportunities, Creative Solutions, and Best Practices for Patient Safety, Tort Reform and Patient Compensation
Conference Materials- $20, DVD- $15

Past Medical Malpractice Forums

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