Defense Costs of Medical Malpractice Claims

To the Editor: Despite research on the overall costs of the U.S. medical liability system,1 national data are limited on the costs associated with resolving medical malpractice claims2 — defense costs — and how they vary according to physician specialty. The frequency...

President should back up his rhetoric with real reform

In his State of the Union address, President Obama urged Congress to set aside politics and work with the White House on passing legislation. But the president neglected to mention that Republicans in Congress have been doing just that. Unfortunately, our efforts to...

When the Doctor Faces a Lawsuit

Within months of completing my training, I received the call that every doctor dreads. “You’ve been named in a malpractice lawsuit,” said the hospital administrator on the other end of the line. The family of a patient I had seen briefly a year...