According to a recent report by consumer watchdog Public Citizen, medical malpractice payments and defensive medicine are not the major factors in the increasing cost of healthcare, contrary to most public opinion. The report gleans substantial data from the National Practitioner Data Bank, which compiles adverse actions against healthcare providers, including medical malpractice indemnity payments, licensure actions, and loss of clinical privileges, among others.
The number of medical malpractice payments, plus the value of payments, has been dropping for the past nine consecutive years, reaching its lowest levels since 1990 and 1998, respectively. Medical malpractice litigation costs, which include claimant payments and litigation and administrative insurance costs, comprised only 0.11% (equivalent to merely one-tenth of one percent) of total healthcare costs in the United States in 2012.
According to this report and the data is used, no actual evidence truly shows that malpractice costs have any effect on actual healthcare costs.
Serious physical or mental injuries, or in the worst-case scenario even death, can result from the negligence of people in the medical profession. If you have been harmed due to surgical errors, misdiagnosis, or other acts of medical malpractice in Massachusetts, don’t hesitate to enlist the help of our lawyers at Crowe & Harris, LLP , by calling (617) 404-3417.