On Oct. 6, 2005, Doctors for Medical Liability Reform (DMLR) launched a new, interactive, nationwide grassroots education and advocacy campaign dedicated to ending medical lawsuit abuse. The campaign is called Protect Patients Now.

DMLR is a Washington, D.C.-based group that was organized a year ago by doctors from around the country and from many different specialties. The group is dedicated to passing federal medical liability reform legislation by mobilizing doctors and patients to speak out.

As doctors, we dedicate our life's work to healing the sick and helping patients live long and healthy lives. Sometimes our quest to help patients takes us in unexpected directions, and often we must work closely with other medical professionals in different disciplines to restore our patients to health and vitality.

Today, our ability to bring healing and health to our patients is at risk. Personal injury lawyers are driving up insurance premiums and good doctors are being forced out of the practice of medicine. Patients across the country are suffering because they can't get the care they need when they need it. We must all help protect patients now and stop medical lawsuit abuse.

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed comprehensive medical liability reform legislation nine times and President Bush has said repeatedly that he will sign it into law. Currently, efforts to protect access to quality healthcare for all patients are being blocked by U.S. senators who receive millions in campaign contributions from lawyers.

Protect Patients Now wants to make sure that the voices of every patient, physician and citizen are heard by our representatives in Washington, D.C. Campaign organizers plan to reach out to our potential allies using new, innovative, interactive tools as well as more traditional grassroots methods.

By joining the effort yourself and telling your friends, family and colleagues about Protect Patients Now, we can build strength. And together with many thousands of supporters, we can fight the personal injury lawyers who are creating an access to care crisis in America's healthcare system. The goal is to effectively force the passage of legislation to protect patients and put an end to medical lawsuit abuse.

Medical liability reform is particularly important to California physicians for two basic reasons. First, our state, with its 1975 MICRA legislation, is the standard bearer for national liability reform legislation. More specifically, the $250,000 cap on pain and suffering is the most important factor in keeping nonmeritorious liability suits in check and maintaining the functional medical liability system we have had for 30 years.

Second, we must make sure that the national medical liability reform legislation maintains the California standard. If Congress establishes a national cap higher than the $250,000 allowed under MICRA, California may be pressured into accepting the higher cap, putting us at risk of losing the stability of our system.

To learn more about Protect Patients Now and to find out how you can help by joining Doctors for Medical Liability Reform, go to www.protectpatientsnow.org or send an e-mail to dmlr@ProtectPatientsNow.org.