Open Access1994 RACO Council Lecture: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
Author(s) -
Taylor Hugh R.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of ophthalmology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1440-1606
pISSN - 0814-9763
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-9071.1995.tb00174.x
Subject(s) - trachoma , pound (networking) , medicine , blindness , legend , ophthalmology , citation , history , library science , optometry , classics , gerontology , art history , law , political science , pathology , world wide web , computer science
© HEALTH CAPITAL CONSULTANTS (Continued on next page) In today’s emphasis on reducing healthcare costs and spending, many commentators have noted that reforms to the U.S. system of medical malpractice, such as noneconomic damages caps, could reduce overall healthcare spending. 1 While the effectiveness of “tort reform” measures on reducing healthcare spending has been challenged, 2 new data regarding the concentration of paid medical malpractice claims among physicians may offer new insight into future medical malpractice reform efforts. Specifically, a January 2016 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) found that “approximately 1% of all physicians accounted for 32% of paid claims” 3 and positively correlated the risk level of a physician for a malpractice claim with the number of previous paid malpractice claims against the physician. 4 Identifying physicians with increased risk levels for a malpractice claim, as well as designing protocols and training regimens to decrease this risk, prior to the onset of legal implications could serve as a proactive means by which health systems can reduce the burden of medical malpractice while also reducing unnecessary healthcare expenditures. 5 This Health Capital Topics article will discuss the results of the NEJM study on medical malpractice claim distribution, as well as detail how health systems can utilize claims data to take proactive measures that may reduce the burden of medical malpractice and the costs associated with this quality control measure.