Meanwhile, the Standard of Care Protection Act of 2013 would ensure that provisions of the Affordable Care Act and other federal laws cannot be used to create new standards of care for medical liability lawsuits. The proposed law was included in the recent Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate Formula bill, which passed out of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
"With so many changes occurring in the health care system, physicians are rightly concerned that federal rules and regulations could result in new, unwarranted, liability exposures," Dr. Jennings said. "This legislation helps safeguard physicians."