Medical malpractice suits drop but take a toll
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
July 18, 2010
Plastic surgeon Amelia Pare gave up doing breast reduction procedures after she was sued four times in one year. One case is still pending, two suits were dropped, and she won the other.
In the four years since, she hasn't been sued. But, unsure she could get insurance for that procedure, she still declines all requests for reduction surgeries.
For general surgeon Judy Ross, the result was more final -- after being sued three times in less than 18 months, her malpractice insurance company told her it would not renew her coverage. She now works as a regional medical director for a local firm, at half her previous salary, where she reviews worker's comp and family leave issues but sees no patients.
The threat of lawsuits is even greater for other specialties. When it comes to the number of claims filed, surgeons are named less frequently than family practitioners and internists, and all of them have fewer claims than obstetrician/gynecologists, according to the Physician Insurers Association of America's "2009 Risk Management Review: General Surgery."
The overall median for all paid claims was just over $200,000.
Copyright
2010