Doctors Who Have Been Sued Are More Likely To Be Sued Again
One percent of all doctors makes up 32 percent of all the paid malpractice claims. Likewise the more often a doctor is sued, the more likely he or she will be sued again. Researchers analyzed 10 years of paid malpractice claims using the National Practitioner Data Bank, a Federal government database that includes 66,426 claims against 54,099 doctors. Concentrations of claims among physicians were calculated.
Among physicians with paid claims, 84% incurred only one during the study period (accounting for 68% of all paid claims), 16% had at least two paid claims (accounting for 32% of the claims), and 4% had at least three paid claims (accounting for 12% of the claims). In adjusted analyses, the risk of recurrence increased with the number of previous claims. For example a doctor who had two paid claims was twice as likely to have another as a doctor who had one, and a doctor who had six or more paid claims was 12 times likely to have another. Neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons were about twice as likely to have a paid claim as internists, while pediatricians were 30 percent likely to have one.
Over a 10-year period, a small number of physicians with distinctive characteristics accounted for a disproportionately large number of paid malpractice claims. On the other hand 94% of all doctors have no claims. Doctors who accumulate several claims are a problem and a threat to the health care system. Identifying these doctors is an essential step in doing something about the medical malpractice problem.
If you live in Michigan and believe you or a loved one has been a victim of medical malpractice,contact contact Thurswell Law immediately. We have been successfully representing clients who are injured or killed by careless or intentional acts of healthcare providers since 1968. No one should have to suffer at the hands of a medical provider. Call us today at (248) 354-2222.
Read The Full Story: The New York Times and The New England Journal of Medicine
