the truth about malpractice figures

[strollingbones]

Virtually every doctor practicing in a high-risk specialty will face at least one malpractice claim during their career, and even physicians in low-risk areas have a 75 percent chance of facing a suit at some point, according to a new study.

The good news for doctors: more than three-quarters of the claims do not result in any payments.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, was based on data from 40,916 U.S. physicians enrolled in a large nationwide professional liability insurance company from 1991 through 2005.

Many docs face malpractice claims, but few pay - Health - Health care - More health news - msnbc.com

 

[Caroljo]

There's so many people that just try to make money on some frivolous suit...they'll sue for ANYTHING! So it makes it even harder for the legitimate ones to get what they deserve. My husband could have been RICH after an accident he had back in 1978...bad car crash and his head was split open on the road - he had to have about 300 stitches...and they NEVER took xrays of him! When he was released he went back to work, his neck kept bothering him (a friend even tried "cracking" his neck for him!!!!) and he finally went to the Dr...they found 2 vertabrae broken! They think the only reason he wasn't dead or paralyzed is because he was a body builder and had strong muscles in his neck. This all happened about a year before i met him. He'd said he wouldn't sue as long as he was going to be ok. I told him that was pretty dumb, because he doesn't know if when he gets older he would have problems (arthritis setting in, whatever). But he had a very good reason to sue....guess we were just meant to be poor!