Dermatologist Leads County Medical Assn.
A Sherman Oaks dermatologist has assumed the presidency of the 10,000-member Los Angeles County Medical Assn.
Jack E. McCleary took over July 1 as head of LACMA, the largest county medical association in the United States, a LACMA spokesman said. He will serve a year.
McCleary, 59, has practiced dermatology in Sherman Oaks for 29 years and lives in Hidden Hills.
He said his primary goal is to maintain the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act, a California law passed in 1975 that, among other things, limits the contingency fees that can be collected by lawyers in a malpractice case.
In parts of New York State, McCleary said, “insurance premiums are now $124,000 a year for obstetricians and $150,000 a year for neurosurgeons. We’re going to try to keep MICRA intact so we can have some sanity here.”
Along with the California Medical Assn. and other groups, he said, “we’ve been able to keep premiums down to $40,000 or so for obstetricians in California.”
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