Additionally, physicians feel compelled to do additional tests and procedures to protect themselves from medical malpractice suits. Despite their beliefs, the study shows malpractice and defensive medicine account for a very small portion of rising healthcare costs.
The study analyzed 5,050 patient-clinician encounters involving 3,624 patients and 60 clinicians in three oncology outpatient facilities between October 2013 and June 2014.
Here are five key takeaways from the study:
- Among the 5,050 encounters, 440 (8.7 percent) included a patient demand or request for a medical intervention, according to the study.
- Clinicians complied with 83 percent, or 365, of the clinically appropriate demands.
- Only in 11.4 percent of the encounters (50 encounters) did the patient demand or request clinically inappropriate interventions.
- Clinicians complied with seven (14 percent) of these inappropriate demands or requests. They complied with inappropriate demands or requests in only 0.14 percent of the 5,050 total encounters.
- Nearly half — 49.1 percent — of patient demands were for imaging studies, 15.5 percent were for palliative treatments (excluding chemotherapy and radiation), and 13.6 percent were for laboratory tests.
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