MALPRACTICE CLAIMS

Malpractice Claims Consume Years
of a Physician’s Career

On average, each physician spends 50.7 months, or approximately 11 percent of an average 40-year career, on resolving medical malpractice cases—the majority of which end up with no indemnity payment. That’s the conclusion of a recent study¹ by the RAND Corporation based on data provided by The Doctors Company, the nation’s largest medical malpractice insurer. Researchers found that 70 percent of the time physicians spend on claims is spent defending claims that end in no payment to the plaintiff.
Key findings of the study include:

• Physicians experience additional stress, work, and reputational damage from the time spent defending claims.
• Fighting claims takes time away from practicing medicine and from the opportunity for the physician to learn from his or her medical errors.
• The lengthy time required to resolve claims also negatively impacts patients and their families.

The effect of malpractice claims on physicians’ careers is discussed further by Richard E. Anderson, MD, FACP, chairman and CEO of The Doctors Company, in two short videos that can be viewed at www.youtube.com/doctorscompany.

Plastic Surgeons in the U.S. average 1 malpractice claim every 2 years. The average cost of Malpractice coverage for plastic surgeons is $60,000 to $100,000 per year.