Medical Malpractice Case of the Month
March 2000
WHO'S BEEN SUED-AND WHO WON
Malpractice Survey Snapshot
Have you ever been sued for malpractice?
Data in these and other charts and tables are from the 1999 Medical Economics Malpractice Survey. Questionaires were mailed to 7,000 randomly selected MDs and DOs in the specialities listed in the spring of 1999 and yielded 1,807 usable responses. Results were tabulated under teh direction of Karen Gryniewski, manager of analytical services for Medical Economics.
How many times?
Of physicians who've been sued, more than one-third have been taken to court at least three times. About one-quarter of general surgeons, ob/gyns, and orthpedists have been sued five times or more.
What happened?
More than 1,000 physicians surveyed said they'd been sued at least once. Almost half of the cases were either dropped by the plaintiff or dismissed by a judge before trial. Of the cases that went to a jury, better than three out of four were decided in favor of the doctor.
The economic costs of defensive medicine
Here's what the doctors we surveyed said when asked how much they estimate defensive tactics increased in overall cost of their services last year:
Do you expect to be sued during your career?
Previous Page | Next Page
Return to the Perry Hookman, M.D., P.A. Home Page