Society Urges Congress to Ensure Liability Protections for Physicians

The Society joined the American Medical Association and other state and national medical associations in urging congressional leadership to include liability protections for physicians in the next COVID-19 relief package, in particular the protections that are included in the bipartisan bill (H.R. 7059, the Coronavirus Provider Protection Act) introduced recently  by Reps. Phil Roe, MD (R-TN) and Lou Correa (D-CA). 

The letter states, “The liability protections we call on Congress to pass are not universal; they are intended to provide targeted and limited protections where health care services are provided or withheld in situations that may be beyond the control of physicians/facilities (e.g., following government guidelines, directives, lack of resources) due to COVID-19. The protections extend to those who provide care in good faith during the COVID-19 public health emergency (plus a reasonable time, such as 60 days, after the emergency declaration ends), and not in situations of gross negligence or willful misconduct.”

The groups noted that as physicians and other health care professionals, and the facilities in which they provide their services, continue their efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 while caring for COVID-19 patients as well as meeting the needs of other patients, they will remain vulnerable to the threat of unwarranted and unfair lawsuits. “We therefore strongly urge Congress to consider targeted and limited liability protections for physicians, other health care professionals, and the facilities in which they practice as they continue their efforts to treat COVID-19 under unprecedented conditions.”

Click here to read the entire letter.