Mark Merlini of the Philadelphia office presented a lecture to a group of attorneys and claims professionals regarding the impact of Pennsylvania’s MCARE Act on medical malpractice litigation and the role of the Commonwealth’s MCARE Fund which provides statutory excess coverage to physicians in Pennsylvania. The Act, passed in 2002, changed the landscape of medical malpractice litigation in Pennsylvania and along with changes to the Rules of Civil Procedure requiring claims to be filed in the venue where the alleged negligence occurred and requiring Certificates of Merit, has led to a nearly 50% decrease in medical malpractice claims filed annually.