Physician spending and subsequent risk of malpractice claims: observational study.

ABSTRACT:

Study question

Is a higher use of resources by physicians associated with a reduced risk of malpractice claims?

Methods

Using data on nearly all admissions to acute care hospitals in Florida during 2000-09 linked to malpractice history of the attending physician, this study investigated whether physicians in seven specialties with higher average hospital charges in a year were less likely to face an allegation of malpractice in the following year, adjusting for patient characteristics, comorbidities, and diagnosis. To provide clinical context, the study focused on obstetrics, where the choice of caesarean deliveries are suggested to be influenced by defensive medicine, and whether obstetricians with higher adjusted caesarean rates in a year had fewer alleged malpractice inci

SUBMITTER: Jena AB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4633452 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature