Could defensive medicine actually lower medical malpractice claims?

In our latest Healthcare Matters interview, we speak with Anupam Jena, MD, PhD and primary author of the study, Physician spending and subsequent risk of malpractice claims: observational study, which was published in the November 2015 edition of The BMJ. A medical doctor and economist, Dr. Jena is Associate Professor of Healthcare Policy and Medicine at Harvard Medical School and an assistant physician at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Our wide-ranging conversation with Dr. Jena addresses several aspects of his study, including the difference between defensive medicine and greater use of resources; the link between greater physician spending and lower rates of malpractice suits; why some physicians may spend more than others; future areas of research on the topic of healthcare spending and defensive medicine; and the implications of his study for practicing physicians. See our entire interview with Dr. Jena below.