Spending and Malpractice

Findings from a new study recently published in the BMJ and supported by the National Institutes of Health provide evidence for those who assert that practicing defensive medicine is a realistic alternative for physicians who would like to safeguard their careers and reputations.

The study focused on data between 2000 and 2009 that involved 24,637 doctors and 18,352,391 admissions to acute care hospitals in Florida. The data showed a connection between higher spending by doctors per patient and a decreased risk of incurring a medical malpractice claim.

There were 4,342 malpractice claims made during the time period under review. Generally, the analysis found that higher spending doctors get sued less often than lesser spending physicians. For example, in the obstetrics specialty, the likelihood of facing medical malpractice fell as an obstetrician performed more Cesarean sections and spent more per patient.

Directors of the study did admit limits to the findings, specifically that information on illness severity was not provided and doctors were not directly asked if their increased spending was motivated by defensive medicine. Nevertheless, even if the study doesn't necessarily demonstrate that increased spending was the direct cause of the decreased opportunity of facing a medical malpractice suit, it does demonstrate that there is a correlation and more research is probably needed to understand the link.

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