Med Mal Litigation in a Nutshell

At MyMedicalMalpracticeInsurance.com we are rarely left smiling after reading an article about med mal litigation. Or feeling optimistic. But today was a good day. We read an article about med mal lawsuits that left us practically hopeful.

The start of the article very nicely outlined the purpose of med mal tort liability. This includes: providing a forum where negligent physicians can be held accountable, compensating injured patients for harm done, and encouraging physicians to take safety precautions and avoid risk. But that wasn’t the part that got us so giddy –we know all that. The article then goes on to cull data from many, many recent studies. Here are some of the facts, backed by data, that we liked to see all in one place:

Very few injured patients file lawsuits despite there being widespread preventable errors. (We’re not happy about the widespread preventable errors, just that few patients feel reason to sue.)

Med mal lawsuits are few in number and going down.

Med mal cases rarely go to trial.

Med mal awards reflect the severity of harm done.

Despite all of the great and promising data in this massive article, the fact still remains that many physicians pay far too much for med mal coverage and that physicians are often-times wrongly sued and that, as a result, doctors feel forced to practice defensive medicine. Now, where did that hope go?

If you would like to see if we can save you money on your med mal policy, contact us today.