In an article from the New York Times, an in-depth report on judge-directed negotiation, which offers a way for states to curb liability expenses which have in turn increased health care costs nationally.  From the article:

“We would hope that other states across the country would look at this as a model they might want to replicate,” said James B. Battles, the official overseeing the grant at the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. By some estimates, the program could save more than $1 billion annually if state courts adopted it nationally, Dr. Battles said. The city’s public hospitals say the program, along with other changes, like sharply increased attention to safety, has helped save $66 million in malpractice costs a year. During the recent session in Justice McKeon’s chambers, the lawyers seemed more relaxed than they would be with patients watching. After he agreed to take $1.5 million for a child with cerebral palsy, a plaintiffs’ lawyer, Louis G. Solimano, seemed disappointed. “I didn’t get a grand slam,” he said.

Read the full story here on the New York Times website.