Personal Injury Law

Chicago Medical Malpractice: American Medical Association Reports that for Every 100 US Doctors, 95 Medical Liability Claims Filed

According to the American Medical Association, for every 100 physicians, about 95 medical liability claims are filed. Nearly 61% of doctors who belong to the 55 and over age group have been sued for medical malpractice. These findings are based on a 2008 survey of 5,825 ?non-federal patient care physicians.? Doctors from 42 specialties participated in the survey practice.

Among the other findings:
? The older a doctor is, the greater the chance that he/she will have been sued.
? 47.5% of male doctors had been sued.
? 26.3% of them were sued twice.
? 23% of female doctors had been sued.
? 9.4% were sued twice.
? General surgeons and obstetricians/gynecologists were the specialties that had been sued the most for medical malpractice.
? Psychiatrists were the ones with the lowest medical malpractice rate.
? 65% of medical malpractice claims were dismissed, dropped, or withdrawn.
? 27.5% of medical malpractice cases were settled.
? 4.5% were resolved using an alternative dispute mechanism.
? 5% of medical malpractice lawsuits went to a civil jury.
? Doctors in single specialty and solo practices had the highest claim frequency rates.

In another study, by the ISMIE Mutual Insurance Co. and the Illinois State Medical Society, about 1,100 Illinois doctors were surveyed between Jun 21 and July 2, 2010:

? 66% admitted that they had eliminated or reduced certain procedures and services because the risk of becoming the target of an Illinois medical malpractice claim was high.
? 89% say they order more tests than what is needed.
? 82% think of each patient as a liability risk.

Medical Liability Claim Frequency: A 2007-2008 Snapshot of Physicians, American Medical Association

Illinois Physician Survey Shows Huge Impact of Lawsuit Fears (PDF)

Related Web Resource:
Fear and Loathing in Illinois: Lawsuit Threat Leads to ?Defensive Medicine? in Health Care

Full post as published by Chicago Injury Attorney Blog on August 06, 2010 (boomark / email).