Battle lines being drawn in the tort reform battle, North Carolina-style

“Doctors also say that high malpractice rates force them to practice what they call “defensive medicine,” where they order unnecessary tests to provide a defense if they’re sued. Several surveys show that most doctors practice defensive medicine.

Some critics of malpractice reform have suggested that extra tests might be motivated by doctors’ interest in earning extra income from them.”

That last statement really shows the lack of understanding on the lawyer’s side. What they don’t understand that most physicians really aren’t out to order tests for the sake of making more money. If it were up to me, I would love nothing more than to practice pure evidence-based medicine, ordering tests only if necessary. But with the current malpractice climate, that is a difficult proposition.