Osteopathic Physicians Rally on Capitol Hill.

The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) joined Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), Senator John Ensign (R-Nev.), Senator Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Ark.), and Senator Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) at a Capitol Hill press conference and rally in support of medical liability reform legislation.

The rally was held in conjunction with the AOA's annual advocacy event, "D.O. Day on Capitol Hill." Over 800 osteopathic physicians, residents, and students participated as the AOA and its members called upon the Senate to pass the "Medical Access Protection Act" (S. 22) and the "Healthy Mothers and Healthy Babies Access to Care Act" (S. 23).

"The AOA is honored to be here today with Members of the United States Senate to express our strong support for the "Medical Access Protection Act of 2006" (S. 22) and the "Healthy Mothers and Healthy Babies Access to Care Act" (S. 23)," stated AOA President Philip Shettle, D.O. "The medical liability system is broken. Over 800 physicians, residents, and students came to Washington to encourage our Senators to protect patient access to quality and timely health care by enacting sensible medical liability reforms."

Ashley Hood, D.O., a senior OB-GYN resident physician at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson delivered remarks on behalf of the AOA. On July 1, Dr. Hood will open an OBGYN practice at River Oaks Hospital in Jackson.

"Statistics show that I will be sued twice in my career," stated Dr. Hood. "As a result of the broken liability system, one in seven obstetricians no longer deliver babies. Even though, as a private practice physician, I have yet to deliver a baby, perform a surgery, or see a patient in an office, my professional liability insurance will exceed one hundred thousand dollars over my first 18-months in practice."

Dr. Hood also shared the impact the medical liability crisis is having on his home state, "Mississippi historically has struggled to ensure that our citizens have access to physician and hospital services. This struggle intensified over the past decade as a result of a tort system spiraling out of control. Few rural physicians or rural hospitals provide specialty care, including obstetrics. As a result, thousands of women have limited access to obstetrical care and must drive to Jackson or other metropolitan cities to receive the care they need. This is not acceptable."

"Soon United States Senate will have an opportunity to pass legislation putting in place sensible reforms to ensure all patients continued access to timely health care services," stated Dr. Hood. "The choice is simple. Will our Senators choose to support reforms that benefit all Americans by protecting access to health care services? Or will they choose to protect the interest of a small subset or our society-trial lawyers? To me, the choice is easy. I urge each Member of the United States Senate to choose to protect access to timely and quality health care services. I urge them to support patients, physicians, and hospitals. I urge them to support these bills. I urge them to vote yes on S. 22 and S. 23."

The AOA supports the enactment of comprehensive medical liability reforms that include sensible limits on non-economic damages. In a letter to Senate to sponsors, the AOA stated, "Your legislation (S. 22 and S. 23) includes the appropriate combination of provisions that have been proven effective in stabilizing the medical liability system and increasing patient access to quality and timely health care."