Study Finds 1% of Physicians Account for 32% of Paid Medical Malpractice Claims
A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that a small number of doctors account for a disproportionately large number of the medical malpractice claims that result in payout for victims.
The study, using data from the National Practitioner Data Bank, analyzed claims paid against roughly 54,000 physicians from 2005 through 2014, and found that the risk of recurrence increased with the number of previous paid claims and that it varied according to specialty. This would seem to imply that a small population of physicians in specific specialties account for either the largest number of potential claims and/or the most egregious cases of medical malpractice, since they so often result in payment for victims of malpractice.
It should be noted that although the study was restricted to data gathered from 2005 through 2014, there is little reason to believe that these numbers do not reflect similar trends on an annual basis. In fact, there are approximately 15,000 to 19,000 medical malpractice lawsuits filed every year in the United States, presumably with a third of those that are paid tied to this same pool of doctors.
Significantly related, a fascinating medical malpractice watchdog report published by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in 2014 found that although the number of malpractice claims in Wisconsin has dropped over a similar timeframe (2003 to 2013), the number of issues (including reports of medical errors) reported as adverse action reports to the federal database has actually increased substantially, from 38 in 2003 to 105 in 2013. And, due to state laws and court verdicts that tilt the law in the favor of physicians over victims, it can be hard for those affected by professional negligence of this sort to find reputable medical malpractice lawyers, even as the number of adverse issues rise.
Has Your Doctor Been Involved in a Malpractice Lawsuit?
Although it may be small comfort for those already affected by medical negligence, one way that patients can help protect themselves from becoming victims of medical malpractice is to adequately screen physicians before seeking medical care. Few people know that the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services maintains a disciplinary actions database that allows the public to search for doctors by name and profession.
If you believe you may be the victim of malpractice, contact Milwaukee personal injury lawyers Domnitz & Domnitz, S.C. We have a proven track record of successfully litigating malpractice lawsuits with substantial judgements. Click here to see some of our most successful malpractice cases.