PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) ? Actor James Woods visited the Rhode Island Statehouse on Wednesday to urge lawmakers to support legislation that would allow doctors to apologize for bad treatment outcomes without their apologies being used against them in a malpractice lawsuit.
Woods' brother, Michael, died of a heart attack at Kent Hospital in 2006. Woods sued the hospital, accusing emergency room staff of not doing enough to save his brother. He settled the lawsuit after the hospital's CEO apologized and agreed to start an institute in Michael Woods' name.
"I was ready for thermonuclear war," Woods said of his anger at the hospital. "Nothing was going to change my mind short of a genuine apology."
Woods told reporters that the simple act of apologizing can help grieving family members process a loss caused by medical errors.
"This apology was a very effective, pragmatic solution," he said. "Usually, the people who are willing to admit their mistakes are some of the finest people."
Woods, who grew up in Warwick, appeared in the CBS legal drama "Shark" and in movies including "Once Upon a Time in America," ''Casino" and "Nixon."
The bill's sponsor, Rep. Joseph McNamara, said he was friends with Woods' brother. McNamara, a Warwick Democrat, said the story of Woods and his brother make for compelling testimony in favor of the legislation. The bill makes doctors' apologies inadmissible in a malpractice suit.
"Sometimes you have to put a face on an issue, on a bill," he said.
Studies show medical malpractice claims decrease when doctors apologize for mistakes and other negative outcomes.
But while groups including the Rhode Island Medical Society support the measure, the bill faces criticism from some lawyers who worry it would go too far in shielding doctors and insurance companies from responsibility for a medical error.
A vote on the bill has not been set.
The institute started in Michael Woods' name has led to significant changes in hospital operations designed to prevent medical mistakes, according to hospital CEO Sandra Coletta.
Coletta joined Woods at the Statehouse on Wednesday. Both said they've become friends since Coletta apologized on the hospital's behalf.
Coletta said many health care providers avoid apologies for fear they will become ammunition in malpractice suits.
"Saying 'I'm sorry' felt like the appropriate thing to do," she said of her apology to Woods.
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