Mandatory presuit mediation: 5-year results of a medical malpractice resolution program

Abstract

The Florida Patient Safety and Presuit Mediation Program (FLPSMP) is a mandatory mediation program designed to provide deserving patients with fast, fair compensation while limiting the healthcare provider expenses incurred during traditional litigation. Mediation occurs before litigation begins; therefore, patients with meritorious claims receive compensation often years earlier than they would with extended litigation. This early mediation fosters confidential and candid communication between doctors and patients, which promotes early fact-finding and candid discussion. The program went into effect across the University of Florida (UF) Health system on January 1, 2008. In an article previously published in this journal, we discussed the positive trend observed 2 years after the implementation of the FLPSMP. This article incorporates 5 years of data, which includes new benchmarks with state and national data, to demonstrate that the program can be used successfully as a medical malpractice solution.