Letters

Opening doctor files would cure many ills

In response to Dr. Barbieri’s February editorial, “3 strikes and you’re out of a job,” I think patients should have the right to see records of a physician’s adverse medical incidents, including peer review and quality assurance documents. If they did, you would not need 3 strikes—you would knock the real culprit out of a job without wasting court battles, precious time, and resources.

This would also decrease the number of frivolous lawsuits; so-called professional experts would no longer be needed; legal manipulations would become obsolete; and mediations and arbitrations would prevail. The result: lower costs for litigation, and more reasonable patient compensation. We would pay low liability premiums, or liability insurance would be replaced by a fund to compensate patients for physician negligence. The community would benefit from better health care at lower costs.