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Posted 6/20/11 by Common Good

Today’s Read: Philip K. Howard’s Letter to the Editor

Common Good Chair Philip K. Howard has a letter to the editor in today’s New York Times in which he comments on a recent Times article on judge-directed negotiations of medical malpractice disputes. “Avoiding [the waste created by defensive medicine] requires more than better judicial management,” Howard argues in the letter. “It requires a reliable decision maker who can be trusted to sort good care from bad.” This requirement, Howard concludes, is why a broad coalition has called for the creation of special health courts. 

Read Howard’s letter—and the underlying article—and tell us your thoughts on which approach to medical liability cases is better—health courts or judge-directed negotiation?