Aug 28, 2002 By Amy Karpinsky 5 min read

Three local doctors say they will stop delivering babies Nov. 1 because of a 250 percent increase in their medical liability insurance premiums. The doctors are Lawrence J. Glad, John A. Sunyecz and Christine B. Wilson. They are in the Laurel Highlands OB/GYN P.C. practice, which has offices in Uniontown, Brownsville and Connellsville. It’s estimated that the doctors handle 50 percent of the deliveries per year at Uniontown Hospital.

Paul Bacharach, CEO of Uniontown Hospital, said the move will have an impact on the hospital.

“They’re all well trained, highly regarded and committed to patients. It’s a real loss for Uniontown Hospital and the community for them to not be able to use their skills completely,” he said. “They have put in a lot of time and effort to provide services and this has to be distressing for them.”

Bacharach said a number of people have worked to develop obstetric care at the hospital so patients didn’t have to travel, but if the trend continues, it could be problematic for women looking to deliver locally. The closest obstetrics facilities are either in Morgantown, W.Va., Frick Hospital in Mount Pleasant, or Mon Valley Hospital in Washington County.

Despite the news, Bacharach said the hospital is not discontinuing its delivery service, noting there are four other local obstetricians and they are continuing their practices.

In a press release, the doctors said they also said they wouldn’t provide obstetrical care for pregnant women but would keep their practice open for “gynecological, family planning and infertility patients who are not pregnant.’

They vowed to remain in the area and fight for changes in medical liability insurance.

The doctors warned that all across the state, physicians who practice in community settings will experience the same problem as their liability insurance comes up for renewal.

Sunyecz said the office’s malpractice insurance police ended Sept. 1, but the group needed to get a two-month extension for patients so they could finish with patients beginning their third trimester. He said if the practice maintained the same type of policy, premiums would increase from $150,000 to $400,000 per year.

“We thought it might be a 50 percent increase,” Sunyecz said. “It’s unreal.”

According to the release, “the only way to achieve a long-term solution, one that will make the practice of medicine possible for physicians and ultimately improve access for patients, is to change the laws.

“This is not a temporary crisis that will disappear in the foreseeable future. It is essential that Senators Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum and Representative John Murtha actively support national reform to put the state on a level playing field with the rest of the county and control this looming disaster in health care.’

Bacharach said malpractice insurance in Pennsylvania is 40 to 70 percent more expensive that other states.

“Until Pennsylvania is on a level playing field with the rest of country, the trend will continue,” he said.

A number of physicians in the eastern part of state are curtailing their practices or looking to relocate, Bacharach said.

Current federal legislation supported by U. S. Reps. James Greenwood and John Murtha is going through the House of Representative and that would help, Bacharach said.

“Frankly, that is probably one of the most beneficial changes that could be done,” he said.

The legislation would place a $250,000 cap on non-economic damages, establish reasonable limits on punitive damages, eliminate joint and several liability, include a collateral source provision, establish periodic payments and institute a sliding scale for attorney’s fees.

Bacharach said he thinks the legislation has support in the House, but it needs the support of the senators also because the Senate is the more likely place the issue will either move forward or stop, Bacharach said.

The doctors will have the opportunity to voice concerns with Specter today, when he is slated to hold a question and answer session at 3:30 p.m. at Penn State Fayette Campus. Sunyecz said all three doctors and possibly some of their patients will attend the event. He said in the past Specter has not been a strong supporter on the issue.

The doctors said they deeply regret the inconvenience this causes their patients and they will gladly assist their obstetrical patients in finding another physician in transferring records quickly and efficiently.

However, the three do not want to leave the state to practice elsewhere, as two orthopedic surgeons in Uniontown did earlier this year. Glad is from the area and Sunyecz said he has children in school here and his wife works here.

Although the decision to walk away from the baby business was a difficult one, Sunyecz said it was “not a real option to stay.” With the new rates, Sunyecz said the doctors guessed they could only keep practice open within two or three months and they would run into bankruptcy.

Sunyecz said the doctors had a developed a relationship with many of their patients and had delivered more than one baby with them.

In preparation of the impending change, Sunyecz said in the past week they have been calling back patients and informing them that they need to call someone else.

Although legislation on a state level was passed earlier this year dealing with tort reform, Sunyecz said he thinks the bill was so diluted by time got passed that it did nothing to help.

“The only way for true reform is if it is made on a federal level, he said.

“It’s unfortunate it had to come to this. We want to take care of our patients,” Sunyecz said. “We had no choice.”