Human interest: Family physicians Jim Schwieterman M.D., and Tom Schwieterman M.D., who are brothers, are “scheduled to deliver their last baby in September, stopping a more than 100-year run of their family bringing children into the world in Mercer County, Ohio.” Their practice in the rural town of Maria Stein dates back to their great-grandfather, and has never had a lawsuit payout. But obstetrics is a high-risk field legally speaking: their insurance company “was asking for $80,000 for the brothers to keep delivering the 60 or so babies a year that they average”, up 150% or so from six years ago. “And given how long their family has been in the community, neither wanted to move 20 miles west to Indiana where tort reform is established and rates would have been 75% less.” The brothers will continue in medical practice aside from obstetrics. (Tanya Albert, American Medical News (AMA), May 3).
“Liability crisis ends century of deliveries”
Human interest: Family physicians Jim Schwieterman M.D., and Tom Schwieterman M.D., who are brothers, are “scheduled to deliver their last baby in September, stopping a more than 100-year run of their family bringing children into the world in Mercer County, Ohio.” Their practice in the rural town of Maria Stein dates back to their great-grandfather, […]
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