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(Salt Lake City-AP) -- A Utah Senate committee has advanced a bill that would let doctors and hospitals to refuse to treat patients unless they waived their right to sue for malpractice without first going through arbitration.
Meanwhile, the malpractice-reformation proponents worked out a deal with trial lawyers by dropping another bill that would have -- among other things -- limited attorney fees.
Senate Bill 138 would authorize health-care providers to require patients to sign binding arbitration agreements. The only exception would be hospital emergency room services.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
