Medical malpractice awards have declined in recent years
This is not news to practicing medical malpractice lawyers but it is to most citizens: malpractice verdicts are down in the last decade not up.
Malpractice payouts decline National study - From 1990 to 2005, the number of malpractice judgments and settlements drops 15.4% Thursday, January 11, 2007 JOE ROJAS-BURKEFor years, physician groups in Oregon and nationally have railed about a malpractice crisis said to be driving up costs and forcing doctors out of business.
But a study published Wednesday suggests that malpractice damage awards have declined substantially in recent years.
The consumer advocacy group Public Citizen mined the federal government's National Practitioner Data Bank to track malpractice payments made on behalf of doctors from 1990 to 2005. Among the findings:
The average payment for a medical malpractice verdict, adjusted for inflation, dropped 8 percent.
The total number of malpractice judgments and settlements declined 15.4 percent.
The number of payments per 100,000 people declined more than 10 percent.
Public Citizen has stood with trial lawyers in opposing efforts by medical groups to limit awards for damages. The Washington, D.C.-based group asserts that lawmakers should focus on reducing medical errors and tightening doctor discipline and oversight.
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