ADR RELIEVES PAIN OF HEALTH-CARE DISPUTES

Disputes between physicians and their patients exact both a financial and an emotional toll on the parties. When the method chosen to resolv e the dispute is adversarial, the doctor/patient relationship is usual ly irreparably destroyed, costs are high, and the physician often cont inues to work under a psychological and emotional cloud. ''The greates t cost savings for the health care provider and the patient will occur by implementation of a system that helps the parties resolve a majori ty of disputes at the negotiation or mediation levels early in the lif e of the conflict,'' says the author. Unlike litigation, mediation doe s not structure its results in terms of right and wrong, winner and lo ser. It encourages the parties to reach a mutually satisfactory soluti on that balances financial and emotional needs. Reeves' proposal for t he resolution of health care disputes is the result of an examination of the issue by the St. Louis Healthcare Claims Committee of the AAA ( of which he is a member) and the St. Louis ARCH (Alternative Resolutio n to the Court House) program.