Supreme Court Rulings Uphold Medical Tort Reform

In a 5-2 ruling, the Ohio Supreme Court reversed the decision of the Court of Appeals in Moretz v. Muakkassa, in a case involving billed charges and medical write offs. 

The OOA, along with the Ohio Hospital Association and Ohio State Medical Association filed an amicus brief in the case, which involved whether expert testimony is required to establish the amount the medical write-off.  The Supreme Court determined there is no basis for requiring an expert witness for this purpose. 

Two earlier cases, Robinson v. Bates and Jaques v. Manton, dealt with related issue pertaining to balance billing.  This was the third time the three associations made a joint amicus appearance.
 
The Ohio Supreme Court also ruled, October 17, that a physician who also serves on the faculty at a state medical school is immune from malpractice lawsuits in the Court of Claims under state law shielding public officials and employees, The 5-2 decision blocked a lawsuit against a faculty member of Ohio State University College of Medicine who also staffed the colorectal surgery clinic at University Hospital East.s