Newsday (Suffolk Edition) from Melville, New York • 118

jmvwnwmm MBwwnuKtaarr Carnegie Hall renovations Ahank You New York Times JBSSSSO 0l)f JTdu Jlork Slmes frida april 26 i9ss the Cure for Bad Medicine? In the opinion of New York actuaries the medical malpractice insurance business is hurtling toward a disaster that could Impair the medical-care system Governor Cuomo is sympathetic but offers a Mil that would provide only symbolic relief He and the Legislature need to think harder about the problem: The costs of malpractice suits are rising nationally as medicine grows more sophisticated Nowhere is the problem more severe than in New York City and its suburbs In the the cost of malpractice 'claims increased 20 percent annually In the M's the rate is curving alarmingly toward 30 percent What especially worries the actuaries is the time it takes to settle a suit: now more than eight years Claims being paid for past malpractice average about 1130000 today Inflation will push the figure to $430000 for malpractice occurring now avoids the tougher measure probably needed to contain the explosion in costs: a celling on damages for pain and suffering Such a ceiling would present difficult moral and practical issues Would a limit wrongly squeeze the most severely injured victims the most? Should doctors be singled out for special protection? Never-theless a ceiling is not unprecedented Courts in Indiana ami California have upheld caps on llaMlity and the principle is recognized in worker's compensation and insurance of nuclear power plants The state trial association already campaigning passionately against even Mr modest bill insists no such stringent action is necessary Why are doctors so upset the lawyers ask when most still pay only small percent-ages of their incomes for insurance? And how can the medical insurer be in trouble when it is making all of its payments with investment income? The questions are disingenuous Low malpractice premiums apply mainly upstate Except for some successful specialists they re a genuine problem In New York City They discourage doctors from some specialties They drive up costs for middle-income patients And they make It even harder to provide medical care In poor neighborhoods As for paying claims out of investment income the malpractice insurer is only 10 years old and hasn't yet had to pay out much most if Its cases are nowhere near settlement or verdict Further the high -interest rates It has been earning are headed down while inflation of payments heads ever higher The courts can't provide much Justice for malpractice victims unless die malpractice insurance system works That system Is teetering The crisis is real and putting a ceiling an awards may he a sound remedy i By Peter Goodman CARNEGIE HALL will doae for six montha next year for major renovations including reconstruction of the main entrance on West 57th Street The hall also has begun a SCO-million flind-raixing enmpnign to restore the building completely by its centennial in 1991 according to an announcement byboard chairman Jamea Wol-fanaohn Is addition the Rockrose Development Corp and architect Cesar Fell! have been chosen to develop a commercial and reeidential tower on a lot next to the building part of the property owned by the city and leased to Carnegie HalL The hall was saved from demolition 25 yean ago after a campaign led by violinist Isaac Stern now president of the Carnegie Hall Corp gained historic landmark status for the building The corporation now leases the building from the city Carnegie Hall is to be doeed for 28 weeks beginning May 19 1986 to reopen with a gala concert in December 1988 Tour prqjects an to be completed in that time- The main lobby is to be rebuilt at street level eHminetfag the steps leading into the building with the construction of six box offices elevators and new interior stain The main hall and recital hall an to be reftir-bished including replacement of seats floon and carpets and soundproofing of doors And the entire backstage area will be revamped AAing wings storage apace and new electrical All this is to be paid for by the ftmds raised in the newly announced campaign Carnegie Hall has already raised 27 million Wolfenaonn paid pwi aw suMitininel fil 0 million hs been pmpnawd in the capital budget for 1986 The find is to ho completed by next year Wolfonsohn said Rockrose founded in 1971 has developed 20 buildings in the dty Including several in Greenwich Village that retrained attention to their historic surroundings Architect Belli former dean of the Yale University School of Architecture designed the renovation and expansion of the Museum of Modern Art Few details of the development were available Only the total sise of the structure 470000 square foe and the foots that Carnegie Hall will have use of 20000 square feet on seven floors have been determined The new building is to be a' masonry structure in kerning with the rust-brick exterior of the landmark hall All the exterior designs must be approved by both Carnegie Hall ana various dty bodieo including the Landmarks IYeaarvation Commission Community Board 5 the Planning Commission and the Board of Estimate Carnegie Hall ofKdaia estimate the preliminary design and all approvals would be completed within a in snoirr Such figures spell deep trouble for the Medical Liability Mutual Insurance Company the doctor-owned concern that insures 18000 of New York's 22J00 private physicians Its reserves total H15 billion but its potential liabilities may be $730 million more The state insurance department recently authorized a premium increase of S3 percent pushing the avenge cost to more than $20000 a year in the metropolitan area and as much as $80000 for some specialists on Long Island Yet even such enormous Increases may not be enough to keep the malpractice insurer afloat The prospect that doctors may thus not be able to And insurance at any price prompts state officials to consider "tort reform" legislated limits on fees and awards The Governor's Mil includes some curbs on fees and awards but it Copyright MS THE NEW YOKE TIMES We Could Not Have Said It Better New York Medical Liability Reform Coalition 96 South Swan Street Albany New York 12210 Alliance of American Insums Amrriran Aaaociatiun NrumkigicaJ Surgeon American College of Obstetricians and Cynecuiugists District II Business Council of New Yurk Stale Hospital Association of New York Stale Hospital Underwriters Mutual Insurance Company Medical liability Mutual Insurance Company Medical Society of the Stale of New York Nationwide Insurance Company New York Chamber of Commerce and Industry New York Conference of Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans New York State Society of Anesthesiologist Inc New York State Society of Surgeons i 18 Part II NHWSOAY MONDAY MAY 20 IMS Xie Jin retrospective at MOMA TGne QMtted Maftioms The Museum of Modern Art has prepared a retrospective film exhibition devoted to Chinese director Xie Jin which will include movies made before the Cultural Revolution to his most recent works Beginning May 81 the film series will run through June 16 in the Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 2 According to the museum the movie retrospective is the first ever mounted in America to focus upon a director from the Peo-' Republic of China The moviea in the retrospective are in Mandarin with English subtitles Brooke Kroeger covers it She's based in New York where she covers the United Nations for Newsday Look for Brooke insightful reports on the people and the proceedings of this complex vital organization Cast calls Molloy College is offering an eight-week mnd-cal theater workshop for high school and college students this summer Tuition is $400 Call 5000 extension 281 Suffolk Community College is staging Neil "The Good in July Auditions are scheduled for June 8-5 451-4163 -I i 4 I 4 A 4 i tf i 4 0 I I I I I i i i i I I I I I 4 I 4 I 4 i a.