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.
Hospital Secrets
The CBS investigative news program "48 Hours" recently examined the perils of hospitalization. Dan Rather reported on recent hospital incidents that, instead of saving the lives of patients, put them in grave danger. The following quote is the opening statement of his report.
"Good evening. The headlines can make you sick. Across the country case after case of hospitals making mistakes, mistakes that have cost a limb or a life. And what may be most shocking -- these incidents are not rare.
"According to one study, 180,000 people a year die from hospital errors. '48 Hours' has spent the last three months investigating how these mistakes happen, how they're sometimes covered up and how you can protect yourself. What we found is alarming: a system of policing hospitals that doesn't work and may have left countless lives shattered beyond repair."
- Dan Rather
- Source: Is Your Hospital Safe? "48 Hours," September 14, 1995.