Payments on the increase, usual suspects to blame
Patients who sue their surgeons for malpractice are more frequently receiving indemnity payments for increasingly larger amounts, according to a study of 3,300 cases across several states over a recent six-year period.
The news comes from the annual benchmarking report from CRICO/RMF, the patient safety and medical malpractice company owned by and serving the Harvard medical community among others. The group analyzed malpractice claims and found the usual suspects to blame: communication, disclosure, diagnosis, and technical performance were common reasons for claims. The report is based on data from 3,300 surgical malpractice cases that took place between 2003 and 2008. The data suggest that open communication is one of the best ways to prevent errors from occurring.
The full report is available online at http://www.rmf.harvard.edu/files/documents/2009_annual_benchmark.pdf.
Patients who sue their surgeons for malpractice are more frequently receiving indemnity payments for increasingly larger amounts, according to a study of 3,300 cases across several states over a recent six-year period.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content. TESTING
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