PA medical malpractice reform credited for lower caseload

Not only the number of filings, but also the number of plaintiff verdicts, have continued to drop in the 10th year since the state Supreme Court began requiring that such cases be brought in the venue only where the cause of action arose and that a certificate of merit be obtained from a medical professional to certify the lawsuit before complaints are filed. Those experts must agree there is a "reasonable probability" that a medical malpractice defendant deviated from the accepted standard of medical care. The number of medical malpractice filings fell from 2,904 in 2002, before the changes went into effect, to 1,528 in 2011, according to statistics provided by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.