Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle has vetoed a bill that would have protected hospitals’ quality information from being subpoenaed by attorneys in medical malpractice suits, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The bill was opposed by trial lawyers and Wisconsin’s Attorney General but was sanctioned by 129 legislators. “This bill goes too far in allowing providers to define and shield information and claim immunity in the name of quality improvement,” Doyle said. The Wisconsin Hospital Association, which helped draft the bill, said that hospitals need the freedom to collect and analyze quality information internally to learn how to prevent future adverse effects and to encourage them to participate in initiatives to improve quality. WHA president Steve Brenton vowed that the WHA will redouble its efforts to enact the quality improvement bill to keep “Wisconsin as the recognized leader in healthcare quality.”
