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To the Editor: In their Commentary on the implications of cerebral palsy litigation, Dr MacLennan and colleagues¹ suggest several important steps, including better self-policing by the medical profession and alternative approaches to dispute resolution both inside and outside of the court system. However, they fail to mention the very significant costs of raising a child with cerebral palsy and the role those costs may play in the decision to pursue a malpractice suit.

The average lifetime cost for 1 person with cerebral palsy has been estimated to be $921 000 in 2003 dollars.² This estimate did not include indirect costs imposed on the family, or hospital outpatient, emergency department, or residential care costs. There is a lifetime of extensive care needs. With no guarantee of coverage for health care costs, malpractice settlements may appear to be the child's only hope for adequate medical care. To the authors' bold steps toward a . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Gene Bishop, MD
sprucedoc@verizon.net
Philadelphia, Pa

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