When a physician or hospital screws up, sometimes all a patient wants is an apology. But they often don't get one, because the apology could be construed as an admission of negligence and become fodder for a malpractice lawsuit. Many states have approved "apology laws," said Samuel D. Hodge, professor and chair of the Legal Studies Department at Temple's Fox School of Business. "The studies have found apologies have a benefit," said Hodge, who has written about apology laws. "They tend to reduce the lawsuits and the cases settle. A lot of times, people just want to hear the apology."