Originally Published MX January/February 2006

GOVERNMENTAL AND LEGAL AFFAIRS

For medtech executives, avoiding costly litigation and court-imposed damages requires extensive forethought and serious defensive measures.

Moderated by Steve Halasey

The United States is an infamously litigious society in which the deep pockets of corporate entities are often turned inside out for a variety of causes, some plainly just and some of questionable merit. According to many critics, one effect of such extensive litigation has been to cripple the U.S. healthcare system by increasing malpractice insurance rates, driving some physicians out of practice, and significantly increasing the overall costs of caring for patients. Though often proposed—and just as often opposed—national tort reform that might limit court-imposed damages has yet to become a reality.