Sean Khozin, MD, MPH

In his address to Congress last night, President Obama touched on medical liability reform. I wish he had devoted more time and attention to this issue. Clearly it is an important concern of not only physicians but, as a new poll conducted by the Clarus Research Group and commissioned by Common Good and the Committee for Economic Development has found, “83% of American voters want Congress to address medical liability reform as part of any health care reform package – and 67% support the creation of special health courts.”

“The American people want the system of medical justice to change,” states Common Good Chair Philip K. Howard in a press release announcing the poll’s results.  “They are saying it in very large numbers, and they want it to change as part of health care reform.”

I find the results of this poll very promising as I’m doubtful that we can control healthcare costs in a meaningful way without comprehensive reform of our medical liability system.

President Obama will deliver a much anticipated address on healthcare reform tonight. There are lots of eyes and ears on this event. A reporter called me today to see if I would watch the address with her so that she could write about my reaction (I declined due to a scheduling conflict). I’m sure a great variety of secondary reactions and opinions will surface soon after his speech.

So here are seven things to watch for during Obama’s address tonight: (POLITICO)

1. Can he keep it simple? Can the President spark enough interest to successfully compete with the season premiere of “So You Think You Can Dance” on FOX?
2. Who is his bad guy? Every good story needs a villain.
3. Where’s that old campaign magic? Can Obama connect with the American people the way he did during the campaign?
4. Does he win the spin? To help Obama’s message go viral, White House Communications Director Anita Dunn will be on whitehouse.gov for a live video chat and will respond to questions coming from Facebook and Twitter
5. Public option or no public option? That is the question.
6. What’s the bite of the night? Expect to hear a lot of sound bites.
7. Can he get Republicans to cheer? It’s important for Republicans to show that they favor reform without endorsing Obama’s controversial ideas.

There are indications that President Obama will mention malpractice reform in his speech. I really hope so, because as you can see here it’s a critical issue that’s been largely left out of the debate.

After Princess Diana’s horrific accident in 1997, it took the ambulance 110 minutes to arrive at the hospital, which was only minutes away. This was not faulty behavior on part of the first responders. They were simply following the protocol of the French emergency medical system dubbed “stay and play,” where a well equipped medical ambulance with a team that usually includes an ER doctor treats the patient before taking them to the hospital.

The French system is in sharp contrast to the American “scoop and run” strategy, where trauma victims are rushed to the hospital while standard techniques are applied by paramedics to stabalize the patient. The US system is based on studies showing that “trauma victim’s best chance for survival is reaching the operating room within 10 minutes.”

As NBC News reports, the French system’s handling of the accident is raising questions on whether Princess Diana would’ve survived had the accident occurred in the US.

I suppose in every healthcare system, there are those who fall through the cracks.