claims, errors, and compensation payments in medical.pdfVIP

T h e n e w e ng l a nd j o u r na l o f m e dic i n e special article Claims, Errors, and Compensation Payments in Medical Malpractice Litigation David M. Studdert, LL.B., Sc.D., M.P.H., Michelle M. Mello, J.D., Ph.D., M.Phil., Atul A. Gawande, M.D., M.P.H., Tejal K. Gandhi, M.D., M.P.H., Allen Kachalia, M.D., J.D., Catherine Yoon, M.S., Ann Louise Puopolo, B.S.N., R.N., and Troyen A. Brennan, M.D., J.D., M.P.H. A bs tr ac t Background From the Harvard School of Public Health In the current debate over tort reform, critics of the medical malpractice system (D.M.S., M.M.M., A.A.G., A.L.P., T.A.B.), charge that frivolous litigation — claims that lack evidence of injury, substandard Brigham and Women’s Hospital (A.A.G., T.K.G., A.K., C.Y., T.A.B.), and the Harvard care, or both — is common and costly. Risk Management Foundation (A.L.P.) — all in Boston. Address reprint requests methods to Dr. Studdert at the Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard Trained physicians reviewed a random sample of 1452 closed malpractice claims School of Public Health, 677 Huntington from five liability insurers to determine whether a medical injury had occurred and, Ave., Boston, MA 02115, or at studdert@ if so, whether it was due to medical error. We analyzed the prevalence, characteris- . tics, litigation outcomes, and costs of claims