According to the article and the Senate Fiscal Agency, states that have "I'm sorry" laws have fewer and smaller malpractice claims than other states and medical institutions that offer apologies with financial settlements. The law would not shield health care workers who admit medical fault or negligence.
The article notes that the University of Michigan Health System reported "its average cost of lawsuits was cut in half and patient satisfaction increased after it adopted an 'I'm Sorry' policy nearly a decade ago."
I can vouch for the success of the University of Michigan's policy. My son was in the ER one night for over six hours when we discovered he had been mistakenly discharged several hours earlier while he was getting X-rays. I was not planning to sue the U of M, but I was plenty angry that Ian went home without a diagnosis for what turned out to be a broken knee-cap.
I wrote a letter to Patient Relations and received a prompt reply. Instead of going into a defensive crouch and denying that a problem existed, Patient Relations investigated the matter and admitted that a number of things were handled poorly. They had talked to staff, and were retraining them to follow procedures to prevent this from happening again.
If you have complaints about the U of M Health System, you can contact Patient Relations in the following ways:
- Walk-in: The Patient Relations office is located in University Hospital, Room UH 2B228, and open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – noon and 1-5 p.m.
- Phone: Call 734-936-4330 or toll-free 877-285-7788.
- After hours, weekends & holidays: Call 734-936-4000 and ask to have a House Manager or Administrator-on-Call paged.
- Online: Fill out a secure, confidential online form
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