HARRISBURG (AP) - Gov. Mark Schweiker on Friday called for state lawmakers to solve a medical-malpractice crisis that may force some hospital trauma centers to close their doors on Jan. 1.
Hundreds of surgeons say they cannot find an insurer willing to write them a malpractice policy for the new year.
''I have called on the General Assembly to place this issue at the top of its agenda for swift action when members return in January,'' Schweiker wrote in a letter to physicians released yesterday.
Two of the state's largest malpractice insurers, Phico Insurance Co. and St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Co., said they can no longer afford to write the policies. St. Paul Fire & Marine said it lost $1 billion nationwide.
Pennsylvania law prohibits doctors from working without malpractice insurance, and a survey of 1,098 specialists conducted this month by the Pennsylvania Medical Society concluded that 31 percent had had their policies either canceled or not renewed for 2002.
Policies for an estimated 70 percent of the state's doctors will expire on Jan. 1, and while many will be able to find a new insurer or sign up with a state insurance fund, hospitals are worried they will not have enough insured doctors to run their emergency rooms.
A recent survey of half of the 70 surgeons at Westmoreland Regional Hospital in Greensburg showed that 64 percent lost their coverage and 70 percent face rate hikes of up to 40 percent.
And The Uniontown Hospital is losing the services of three orthopedists who are losing their medical malpractice insurance.
The Department of Health said it has learned of at least two hospitals that may suspend their trauma center operations on Jan. 1 and is writing to hospitals to determine if there are any others.
Both facilities - Abington Memorial Hospital in Montgomery County and St. Mary's Medical Center in Bucks County - have orthopedists who are losing insurance policies.
''I'm not so sure that the statement ... is going to change a lot for us for Jan. 1,'' said Dick Jones, president of the 508-bed Abington Memorial Hospital, which is still searching for ways of keeping its trauma center open.
A third hospital that was on the list, Community Medical Center in Scranton, said its orthopedists have found insurance from a state fund at rates as much as four times higher than what they are currently paying.
''My reaction is 'take action.' There's no reason not to go forward at this time,'' said Dr. Charles R. Hartman, president and chief executive officer of the 310-bed Community Medical Center. ''Everyone is doing everything they possibly can to maintain their services under a rather serious set of conditions.''
The House of Representatives last week approved one bill designed to curb frivolous lawsuits of all types, but the bill still awaits further action in the Senate.
Schweiker called for swift passage of more comprehensive action.
''While increasing premiums have apparently been felt most acutely in Southeast Pennsylvania, the fact is that the rising cost of malpractice insurance is impacting physicians statewide,'' Schweiker wrote.
Solving the problem will require reforms to the state malpractice-insurance fund known as the Pennsylvania Medical Professional Liability Catastrophe Loss Fund, or CAT Fund; improvements to patient safety; and changes to the judicial process, Schweiker wrote. All of it must take place without compromising appropriate compensation for patients injured by malpractice, he said.
Schweiker spokesman David La Torre said doctors can obtain temporary insurance from the state fund, which is required to insure doctors who cannot find coverage elsewhere.
''The insurance is there, and we're working hard to make sure they have viable alternatives to maintain their practices in Pennsylvania,'' La Torre said.
A spokesman for Philadelphia Republican Rep. John M. Perzel, the House majority leader, said medical-malpractice legislation will be ''if not the first, among the first items'' when the House returns for business in earnest in late January. The House has a brief session scheduled early in the month to deal with legislative redistricting.
Doctors at the Pennsylvania Medical Society asked Schweiker this week to issue a public statement about the problem and impose a stopgap measure for physicians who cannot get either insurance or a reasonably priced policy from the state fund, said Roger Mecum, executive vice president of the organization.
''This is turning into an economic disaster for Pennsylvania on a variety of fronts, let alone that you or I could be sick tomorrow and need care,'' Mecum said.
