Newsletter
Issue 4
Medical Malpractice Newsbits
- On May 11, 2006, the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine published a definitive study debunking the myth that "frivolous" medical malpractice lawsuits are clogging the courts system. The study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found, "Portraits of a malpractice system that is stricken with frivolous litigation are overblown."
- A new study released in the May/June 2006 issue of Health Affairs magazine has found that malpractice premium expenses make up only a small percentage of total expenses for physicians, including those in high-risk specialties. The study, analyzing data from the American Medical Association itself, also found that the average physician income in 2003 was still between the 95th and 99th percentiles for all Americans.
- Doctors frequently assert that lawsuits force them to practice defensive medicine. But a new study published by the New England Journal of Medicine, May 11, 2006, finds that litigation against hospitals actually improves patient safety. The study authors concluded, "In the absence of a comprehensive social insurance system, the patient’s right to safety can be enforced only by a legal claim against the hospital." The article cited several specific cases where patient improvements were instituted as a result of a legal claim filed against the hospital.