There are a number of apology or restorative justice programs being used around the country, primarily to deal with medical error claims. Some of these programs are hospital based and others have been implemented by insurance companies. The reported results have demonstrated that these types of programs resolved claims in a cost effective and satisfactory manner.

COPIC Ins. Co.  (Colorado) 3 R Program -- Recognize, Respond, Resolve  

• Deals with unanticipated medical outcomes
• Facilitates candid, early communication
• Saved 33% costs from traditional adversarial process
• 98% of claims resolved without litigation
• Lawyers not permitted to participate

Veterans’ Administration Medical Center, Lexington, KY apology program

• Average payout for medical claims $16,000 vs. $98,000 national average – 84% savings
• 2 lawsuits have gone to trial during 10 year period

University of Michigan Health System apology program

• Reduced malpractice claims by 50%
• Reduced average time to process a claim from about 20 months to about 8 months
• Reduced the cost per claim by 50%

Other apology programs

• University of Illinois Medical Center
• Catholic Healthcare West
• Stanford University Teaching Hospitals
• Children’s Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota
• Johns Hopkins Hospital