It is great to see this kind of commitment in the face of overwhelming odds:

The measure, sponsored by Sen. Carolyn Allen, R-Scottsdale, would require patients to prove “by clear and convincing evidence” that the care they received did not meet professional standards. That is more difficult to prove than the current requirement that a plaintiff show it is more likely than not the doctor committed malpractice, a standard that would remain in place for virtually all other types of medical claims.

The measure, sponsored by Sen. Carolyn Allen, R-Scottsdale, would require patients to prove “by clear and convincing evidence” that the care they received did not meet professional standards. That is more difficult to prove than the current requirement that a plaintiff show it is more likely than not the doctor committed malpractice, a standard that would remain in place for virtually all other types of medical claims.

Allen pushed wording identical to that through the Legislature in 2006, only to have it vetoed by the governor. Napolitano said then that she saw no evidence that making the change would cure the problem of doctors being unwilling to work in emergency rooms.

Since then, a task force appointed by the governor has come up with a list of recommendations for ways to ensure there are doctors – and specialists in particular – available when patients are brought to hospital ERs. Altering the standard of proof for malpractice cases is only one of the items on that list.

The whole article is interesting (and seems biased to me, but I’m probably biased also). But the main thing that stands out is the thought that there is no possibility that people required in emergency situations cannot be expected to make mistakes. Even if other means were created to produce better results, wouldn’t these also produce a shortage? I mean, what do you think it takes to make an emergency worker able to handle emergencies without ever making a mistake? I’m thinking years of special-forces-type training and a selection process that only allows the people in the program who have the best reflexes and the best ability to handle pressure and make the right decisions.

In other words, less affordable care and more shortages.