Study links costly care with fewer malpractice claims

Description

Abstract: Many physicians report practicing “defensive medicine” — care provided solely to reduce the threat of malpractice liability — in the United States. Until recently, though, no studies have evaluated whether greater resource use by physicians — whether defensively motivated or not — is actually associated with reduced risk of malpractice claims. This article offers findings from researchers that linked data on nearly 19 million hospital admissions in Florida from 2000 to 2009 to the malpractice history of more than 24,000 physicians in seven specialties.