Closed Temporarily by Rising Rates, Nev. Trauma Center Back in Business

Ten days after shutting down due to fast-rising malpractice insurance rates, Nevada’s lone top-level trauma center reopened its doors July 14, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The county-run trauma center shut its doors earlier in the month after all but one of the medical center’s 58 orthopedic doctors resigned after reporting they couldn’t afford the soaring malpractice insurance premiums.

Some physicians reported that some medical malpractice insurance premiums have grown from $40,000 to $200,000 annually.

In order to get the trauma center up and running again, 10 to 15 private-practice orthopedic surgeons agreed to become Clark County employees for 45 days. By doing that, the surgeons will be covered by the hospital’s $50,000 liability cap.