In 1995, I started my first practice in obstetrics and gynecology at the Family Medical Clinic in Cleveland, Mississippi. A few years later, I opened Delta OB/GYN with my partner, Dr. Bradley Baugh. We chose to open our practice in the Mississippi Delta as this is an underserved area for women’s healthcare. Our practice grew during these early years, and we recruited another partner for our practice. However, she decided not to join us here, and chose to practice in another state, because Mississippi was considered too litigious.

By the year 2002, the medical/legal climate in the state of Mississippi had deteriorated greatly. While practicing at Family Medical Clinic from 1995-1998, I was insured by St. Paul, a group which ultimately left the state. When we opened our practice in 1998, Dr. Baugh and I started off with Mutual Assurance of Alabama, which departed the state in 2001. We then changed to Medical Protective Company. In 2002, we had several claims filed against us, most of which had no merit and were ultimately dismissed. Keep in mind that prior to this we had never had any type of claim, settlement, or even sat for a deposition. At this point, we had to really scramble to find malpractice coverage. Our policy with Medical Protective Company lapsed, and we had to close our clinic for about 2 weeks. We did eventually acquire coverage with Medical Assurance Company of Mississippi (MACM), and we have been with MACM since that time.

While we were closed and waiting to get malpractice coverage, this was a period of great uncertainty. It was not clear exactly where we would be practicing medicine or in what capacity. Most important was the fact that it left many of our patients, who are largely indigent, without medical care. We still have a large Medicaid and indigent patient population that frequently have trouble getting to their appointments. As a matter of fact, at the time of this writing, we had a patient that walked to our clinic in the rain because she had no transportation. After we saw her, our clinic manager drove her home. Patients like this simply would be left behind.

This vulnerable population going without medical care drew a lot of media attention from local, state, and even national news. There was a segment on NBC Nightly News that featured our clinic, our employees, Dr. Baugh, and me. This national exposure led to me being invited to speak at a national economic forum at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. This was led by President George W. Bush, and I was privileged enough to sit right across the conference table from him. This conference gave me the opportunity to discuss in detail with President Bush about the legal environment that we were forced to practice in. Although he was sympathetic, he could not get federal legislation passed.

During this whole process, we had been lobbying many of our local and state politicians for tort reform. A special session of the legislature was called, and we took advantage of this opportunity. The Mississippi State Medical Association organized what was called a white coat day, and we took all our employees to the capitol to participate. Doctors from across the state made an appearance, and it seemed to have worked. The legislature passed tort reform, and Governor Ronnie Musgrove signed it into law. I remember Governor Musgrove coming to our hospital and other hospitals across the state and talking with the doctors and other leaders about this crisis and what needed to be done to solve it. The new changes put a limit on damages and also changed the statute of limitations. This tort reform allowed us to stay in business and continue to take care of our patients and serve our communities.