The report said the decrease may be due to a regulation filed in 2002 forcing parties that file medical malpractice claims to run their complaints by a panel of medical experts who decide their merit.
According to the Physician Insurers Association of America’s “2009 Risk Management Review: General Surgery,” surgeons are named less frequently in lawsuits than family practitioners and internists, all of whom have fewer claims that obstetrician/gynecologists.
A recent survey by members of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists revealed that 90 percent of obstetricians and gynecologists have had a liability claim filed against them at least once. More than 60 percent have changed their practices because of liability concerned, and a small number have discontinued delivery services altogether.
According to the report, some physicians affected by lawsuits decide to stop practicing altogether following multiple lawsuits, citing higher insurance rates, denied coverage by medical malpractice insurers and emotional strain.
Read the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report on medical malpractice claims.
Read more recent coverage on medical malpractice.
–New York City Judge Teams Up With Hospitals to Lower Malpractice Costs
–Medicare to Start Claiming Share of Malpractice Settlements Next Year
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