News in brief - Dec. 22/29, 2003

Group's guidelines part of workers' compensation reform - Vermont Medical Society council settles assisted-suicide controversy

Group's guidelines part of workers' compensation reform

The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine played a role in California's overhaul of its workers' compensation system.

California lawmakers said costs to insure workers injured on the job had soared in the past decade and sought to reform the system. A reform plan was signed by then Gov. Gray Davis in September, calling for limiting treatments to workers and capping fees to physicians and other health care professionals.

Previously, officials said, a major problem was a lack of consistent treatment of workers with similar injuries. The reform means determining appropriate care for an injury should now be based on treatment guidelines by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Vermont Medical Society council settles assisted-suicide controversy

Acting in its capacity as the Vermont Medical Society's policy-setting body, the VMS Council voted 20-2 on Dec. 2 to continue the society's current position of opposing any law concerning physician-assisted suicide.

Confusion erupted after society members approved two conflicting assisted-suicide resolutions on a mail-in ballot. A resolution to maintain the current policy passed by a 522-174 vote. Another resolution, proposed by assisted-dying advocates, called on the VMS to take a neutral stance. This resolution was also approved, but only by a 348-340 vote.

VMS policy stresses that it "in no way endorses euthanasia," but it opposes laws specifically outlawing physician-assisted suicide on the grounds that such laws would have a chilling effect on appropriate palliative care.