A recent article cites to a new book coming out called “The New Medical Malpractice” by Jim O’Reilly, professor at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Law.

You can find the article here:

[In-Store Clinics, ‘Telemedicine’ and the Death of Windfall Malpractice Judgments][1]

The article offers a sneak peak into what Mr. O’Reilly believes will be the evolving state of health care following implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

First, O’Reilly believes that, with millions of new health care insureds, there will be increased competition among insurance providers, potentially driving them to cut costs. This, O’Reilly believes, will result in fewer doctor’s offices and more grocery and convenience stores with on-site clinics.

In Seattle, this is already occurring at places like Walgreens, Target and other retail stores.

O’Reilly also posits that there will be a rise in telemedicine – where doctors treat patients remotely.

I’ve already wrote on this subject and its perils for patients. Find my article here:

[Tele-ICUs: The Future of Medicine is Here (Actually Somewhere Else)][2]

Suffice to say, these changes can result in a decrease in the quality of healthcare provided. This can include prescription errors, failures in communication between providers resulting in treatment delays, and lower level providers such as nurses being asked to provide care once provided by a doctor. Such changes may also correspond to an increase in medical malpractice claims.

[1]: http://www.uc.edu/news/NR.aspx?id=19890 “In-Store Clinics, ‘Telemedicine’ and the Death of Windfall Malpractice Judgments”
[2]: https://cmglaw.com/Articles/2012/09/Tele_ICUs_The_Future_of_Medicine_is_Here_Actually “Tele-ICUs: The Future of Medicine is Here (Actually Somewhere Else)”