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Study: Doctors order tests out of fear of lawsuitsRoughly one-fifth of tests that bone and joint specialists order are because a doctor fears being sued, not because the patient needs them, a first-of-its-kind study in Pennsylvania suggests.
The study comes a day after the Obama administration began a push to overhaul state medical malpractice laws as a way to reduce unnecessary tests that drive up health care costs.
"This study is a glimpse behind the curtain of what's happening in a doctor's mind," said its leader, Dr. John Flynn of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. If doctors sense you might second-guess them or cause trouble, "you could potentially be risking more tests being done."