As the medical
malpractice legislation of 2003 was not passed until late last
summer, the likelihood for passage of medical malpractice
legislation during the 2004 session was relatively slim. The
2003 legislation contained several provisions that recognized
the importance of emergency medicine, and FCEP maintained
constant focus on this issue to ensure that the 2003 emergency
care provisions were not detrimentally impacted. While there
were a number of medical malpractice related bills that were
filed or otherwise considered by the Legislature, none that
would have had a negative impact on emergency care were passed.
The College continues to work with the Office of Insurance
Regulation and other appropriate parties to ensure that the
provisions passed by the 2003 Legislature have a positive impact
on the provision of emergency and trauma care in Florida.
