In continuing coverage, American Medical News reports that although nearly all physicians “will be sued at least once during their career,” most cases “will end in their favor,” according to a study published Aug. 18 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study authors estimated that by “age 65, 75% of physicians in low-risk specialties will have experienced a lawsuit, compared with 99% of physicians in high-risk specialties.” The analysis of “claims data on about 41,000 physicians between 1991 and 2005″ indicated less than “2% of those sued make payments to plaintiffs” and that neurosurgeons are “sued more often than any other specialists.” Annually, an average “7.4% of physicians experienced a medical liability claim,” of whom only “1.6% made payments to plaintiffs.”
From the American Association for Justice news release.
