MEDICINE ON TRIAL conference on Medical Errors and Medical Liability Reform

From Andrea Wershof Schwartz

MEDICINE ON TRIAL:

Medical Errors and Medical Liability Reform

The Jewish Theological Seminary

3080 Broadway at 122nd, New York, New York 10027

Sunday, October 22, 2006

The Louis Finkelstein Institute for Religious and Social Studies of The Jewish Theological Seminary is sponsoring a conference titled "Medicine on Trial," which deals with issues surrounding medical errors and medical liability reform. This will be a day-long conference held at The Jewish Theological Seminary, 3080 Broadway at 122nd, New York, New York, on Sunday, October 22, 2006. It is co-sponsored by the Medical Society of the State of New York and the Stein Center for Law and Ethics Fordham University School of Law.

Often in public discourse, these issues are discussed from a political or economic standpoint, frequently with those on opposing sides talking past each other. This conference aims to look at these issues from a perspective of ethics and moral responsibility and foster a dialogue among interested individuals.

The morning session will tackle medical errors and untoward events. It will focus on identifying and correcting systemic problems in healthcare settings that contribute to medical errors, as well as with the responses to errors once they have occurred, including apology legislation, mediation, and alternatives to litigation. The afternoon session will center on questions surrounding the litigation process, including testimony by paid experts, jury of one's peers, medical courts, the victim of malpractice whose damages are not great enough for a lawyer to be willing to take the case, and the problems associated with the cost of liability insurance.

Each of the main sessions will include brief formal presentations followed by a roundtable panel discussion involving experts from the fields of law, medicine, religion, and bioethics. The conference will then break into smaller groups for more intimate discussions between members of the audience and faculty.

Continuing Medical Education Credit: This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY) through the joint sponsorship of MSSNY and JTS. MSSNY is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to sponsor continuing medical education for physicians. The Medical Society of the State of New York designates this educational activity for a maximum of 6.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits ä. Physician should claim commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Continuing Legal Education Credit: This program is accredited for 7 non-transitional New York State continuing legal education credits in the areas of ethics (4 credits) and professional practice (3 credits). A financial hardship application for this Conference can be found at http://law.fordham.edu/cle.htm

For further information on fees and other matters, to register, or to receive registration forms by mail, contact 212-280-6093 or publicevents@jtsa.edu.