Researchers reviewed liability claims at the teaching hospital for two five-year periods, before the program was implemented and after. Payments were adjusted for inflation.
Forty-four claims were filed during the entire 10-year study period, but claims and payments decreased dramatically after the program was implemented: 30 of the claims were filed in the first five years of the study, while just 14 were filed in the second five years. Also, payments totaled $50.7 million in the five years reviewed before the safety program, compared to $2.9 million in the five years after program implementation.
Meanwhile, the state of Connecticut had a stable number of claims and an increased cost per claim during the study period.
“We conclude that an obstetric safety initiative can improve liability claims exposure and reduce liability payments,” the researchers wrote.
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