The Republican alternative to the Affordable Healthcare Act is to raise even more barriers to injured patients pursuing claims against health care
providers who injure them. Yet the number of claims and payouts continues to decline, so where is the malpractice crisis? It’s just a political ploy to
throw a bone to the Chamber of Commerce and insurance companies:
Medscape (7/13, Lowes) reports that for the eighth consecutive year, the “number and total value of malpractice payments made on behalf of physicians
declined in 2011,” according to Public Citizen. Utilizing data from the National Practitioner Data Bank, the study found that in 2011 there were
9,758 payments, “the lowest since the NPDB began tracking them in 1991.” The peak year was 2001, when 16,565 payments were reported. The study also found
that the average payment in 2011 was $327,561, “the lowest amount since 2000 after adjustment for inflation.”
For more information visit: http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2012/07/13/255557.htm
