The filing of medical malpractice cases in Pennsylvania has continued on a downward trend since sweeping reforms were initiated more than a decade ago, falling 10 percent in 2012 from the previous year, according to statistics from the state Supreme Court.
Statistics released Tuesday by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts indicate that there were 1,508 medical malpractice filings in Pennsylvania in 2012, down 167 filings from 2011. The statistics represent a 44.8 percent decline from the average number of filings over a three-year span between 2000 and 2002. That time period was right before the Supreme Court began requiring medical malpractice cases be brought in the venue where the cause of action arose and that a certificate of merit be obtained from a medical professional in order to certify lawsuits before complaints are filed. The experts must state there is a reasonable probability that a medical malpractice defendant deviated from the accepted standard of medical care.
