Is Your Doctor More Prone to A Medical Malpractice Claim?
Recent research published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that doctors of certain demographics may be more prone to medical
malpractice claims. Interestingly, just one percent of all doctors were
linked to nearly one-third of all paid malpractice claims. The study,
led by a team of Stanford researchers, revealed that there are some common
characteristics among these claim-prone doctors. They looked at more than
66,000 claims filed against 54,000 doctors nationally between 2005 and
2014, and found these recurring traits among those doctors with more than
one paid malpractice claim:
Gender – 82 percent of the claim-prone physicians were men
Age – 74 percent of the physicians with multiple paid claims in the
nine-year span were between 45 and 64 years old
Specialty – The most common practice areas for claim-prone physicians were
internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and general surgery
It’s also worth noting that a doctor’s likelihood of committing
malpractice increases exponentially if they’ve had prior instances
of malpractice. “Compared to physicians with only one previous claim,
a physician who had three previous claims is three times as likely to
have another one,” according to the study.
Fortunately, patients in Indiana have full access to the disciplinary backgrounds
of doctors and pharmacists through the Indiana Professional Licensing
Agency. You can access the
entire database here.
If you believe your healthcare provider has committed medical malpractice,
the medical malpractice attorneys at Wagner Reese can help you get the
justice you deserve. Restore the balance of power and get the legal support
and advice you need so that you can focus on your own health and healing.
Submit our online form or call us 24 hours a day at (888) 204-8440.