The Joint Commission's Tort Resolution and Injury Prevention Roundtable has been charged to frame the issues underlying today's liability insurance crisis and its impacts on patient care, and to identify alternatives for tort reform that could foster the development of cultures of patient safety in health care organizations. Public policy roundtables were held in February and July of 2004. A national conference on tort resolution and injury prevention is scheduled for November 8-9, 2004, in Alexandria, Virginia. The white paper, "Health Care at the Crossroads: Strategies for Improving the Medical Liability System and Preventing Patient Injury," published in February 2005 and is now available.