Virginia Lawyers Weekly Features St. Louis Article Examining Virginia’s New Med-Mal Reporting Law

Justin St. Louis (Of Counsel-Washington, DC) authored the article “What to Know about Virginia’s New Med-Mal Reporting Law,” appearing in the June 29, 2026, edition of Virginia Lawyers Weekly. The article examines Virginia's enactment of a new medical malpractice claims reporting law, effective July 1, 2026, following the legislature's decision to reject broader reforms that would have increased the state's medical malpractice damages cap. In this follow-up to the author’s earlier analysis of those rejections, he notes that although the damages cap remains unchanged, the new law establishes a reporting framework requiring certain health care entities and insurers to disclose malpractice claims data beginning October 1, 2026. The article highlights the governor's amendments, which broaden the scope of covered reporting entities beyond self-insured hospitals to include a broader range of healthcare providers and medical care facilities that maintain self-insurance, captive insurance, risk retention arrangements, or other retained financial risk; centralize reporting through the Bureau of Insurance; strengthen confidentiality protections; and eliminate certain financial reporting and disclosure requirements, among other changes. The author also discusses the law's strategic implications for healthcare providers, outlining practical steps organizations should consider to prepare for the new reporting requirements and continued legislative scrutiny of Virginia's medical malpractice damages cap. 

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