Comments on: Differing malpractice views http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2004/10/differing-malpractice-views.html medical blog Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:59:44 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Anonymous http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2004/10/differing-malpractice-views.html/comment-page-1#comment-51692 Anonymous Fri, 15 Oct 2004 10:59:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2004/10/differing-malpractice-views.html#comment-51692 Defensive medicine clearly costs a fortune. <br /><br />Unfortunately, limiting things like non-economic compensation will do nothing to reduce defensive medicine. As long as there is a climate in which lawsuits for malpractice are common, defensive medicine will flourish.<br /><br />Whether or not I think that a patient would reap a windfall from pain-and-suffering would not influence my ordering of a ct scan. Nor would the level of my malpractice premiums. Only my perception of the risk of being sued could influence the extent of my ordering defensive tests. And this is unlikely to be affected much by most tort reform.<br /><br />mjmd Defensive medicine clearly costs a fortune.

Unfortunately, limiting things like non-economic compensation will do nothing to reduce defensive medicine. As long as there is a climate in which lawsuits for malpractice are common, defensive medicine will flourish.

Whether or not I think that a patient would reap a windfall from pain-and-suffering would not influence my ordering of a ct scan. Nor would the level of my malpractice premiums. Only my perception of the risk of being sued could influence the extent of my ordering defensive tests. And this is unlikely to be affected much by most tort reform.

mjmd

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2004/10/differing-malpractice-views.html/comment-page-1#comment-51690 Anonymous Thu, 14 Oct 2004 23:18:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2004/10/differing-malpractice-views.html#comment-51690 It's not just extra tests, either. I've seen plenty of times when a patient was kept in the unit because the family was making a stink. Tack on an extra 1000$ per day on the hospital bill every time it happens. It’s not just extra tests, either. I’ve seen plenty of times when a patient was kept in the unit because the family was making a stink. Tack on an extra 1000$ per day on the hospital bill every time it happens.

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