Bill Text: PA HB1843 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Providing for benevolent gesture or admission by health care provider.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 30-6)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2009-07-10 - Referred to JUDICIARY [HB1843 Detail]

Download: Pennsylvania-2009-HB1843-Introduced.html

  

 

    

PRINTER'S NO.  2424

  

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

  

HOUSE BILL

 

No.

1843

Session of

2009

  

  

INTRODUCED BY GILLESPIE, BENNINGHOFF, BEYER, BOYD, CAUSER, CREIGHTON, CUTLER, DALEY, EVERETT, FLECK, GEIST, GRELL, GROVE, HALUSKA, HARRIS, HENNESSEY, HICKERNELL, HORNAMAN, HUTCHINSON, JOSEPHS, KAUFFMAN, KILLION, MANDERINO, MANN, MILLER, MOUL, PICKETT, PYLE, QUINN, REICHLEY, SAYLOR, SONNEY, STERN, TURZAI, VULAKOVICH AND WATSON, JULY 10, 2009

  

  

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, JULY 10, 2009  

  

  

  

AN ACT

  

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Amending Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the

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Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, providing for benevolent

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gesture or admission by health care provider.

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The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

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hereby enacts as follows:

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Section 1.  Title 42 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated

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Statutes is amended by adding a section to read:

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§ 6145.  Benevolent gesture or admission by health care

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provider.

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(a)  General rule.--In any medical professional liability

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action, any benevolent gesture or admission of fault made by a

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health care provider to a patient, or the patient's relative or

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representative, regarding the patient's discomfort, pain,

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suffering, injury or death resulting from a medical encounter,

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treatment or procedure shall be inadmissible as evidence of

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liability or as an admission against interest if such gesture or

 


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admission was made prior to the commencement of the action.

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(b)  Definitions.--As used in this section, the following

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words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this

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subsection:

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"Benevolent gesture."  Any action that conveys a sense of

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compassion or commiseration emanating from humane impulses.

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"Health care provider."  As defined by section 103 of the act

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of March 20, 2002 (P.L.154, No.13), known as the Medical Care

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Availability and Reduction of Error (Mcare) Act.

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"Medical professional liability action."  As defined by

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section 103 of the act of March 20, 2002 (P.L.154, No.13), known

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as the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error (Mcare)

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Act.

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"Relative."  A patient's spouse, parent, stepparent,

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grandparent, child, stepchild, grandchild, brother, sister,

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half-brother, half-sister, spouse's parents or any person who

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has a family-type relationship with a patient.

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"Representative."  A legal guardian, attorney, an agent

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designated to make medical decisions under a power of attorney

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over health care matters or a surrogate designated in an advance

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directive for health care or any person recognized in law or

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custom as a patient's agent.

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Section 2.  The addition of 42 Pa.C.S. § 6145 shall apply to

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actions pending on or commencing after the effective date of

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this section.

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Section 3.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.

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