New York's highest court of appeals has held that no-fault insurers cannot deny no-fault benefits where they unilaterally determine that a provider has committed misconduct based upon alleged fraudulent conduct. The Court held that this authority belongs solely to state regulators, specifically New York's Board of Regents, which oversees professional licensing and discipline. This follows a similar recent ruling in Florida reported in this publication.
I.Q. -- Interesting Quote
Tragic Mistakes
According to an article in USA Today1, the "annual toll of medical harm" is:
- 1.3 million injuries
- 180,000 deaths
- $50 million total costs
- $14 billion uncompensated costs
As this is the "annual toll," one has to question the overall risk and cost of many medical procedures. It would be quite enlightening for the public to have access to the risk factors of all forms of medical care as compared to chiropractic care BEFORE they make their health care decisions.
Reference
1. Levy, D. Helping hospitals learn from tragic mistakes. USA Today, November 5, 1996.