A split Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling has made it harder for plaintiffs to get around a two-year statute of limitations on wrongful death suits against health care providers.

The high court majority on Monday determined that a tolling provision under the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error Act for instances when the decedent's cause of death has been concealed does not apply to situations in which circumstances leading to the death were concealed.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David N. Wecht. (Courtesy photo) Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David N. Wecht. (Courtesy photo)