Health Affairs, 26, no. 3 (2007): 841-852 doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.26.3.841 © 2007 by Project HOPE	New Online   McAllen, TX & Beyond: An Expert Roundtable   Geography & Reform   Medicaid or Insurance Exchange?   Siren Song of New GME   Public Plan Option: Pro & Con

This Article Figures Only Full Text (HTML) Reprint (PDF) Online Appendix Submit a response to this article Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when Comments are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services E-mail this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Personal Archive Download to Citation Manager Reprints & Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (4) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Baicker, K. Articles by Chandra, A. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Baicker, K. Articles by Chandra, A. Related Collections Legal/Regulatory Issues Medicare Business Of Health Physicians Consumer Issues

DataWatch

Malpractice Liability Costs And The Practice Of Medicine In The Medicare Program

Mounting malpractice liability costs might affect physician practice patterns in many ways, such as increasing the use of diagnostic procedures while reducing major surgeries. This paper quantifies the association between malpractice liability costs and the use of physician services in Medicare. We find that higher malpractice awards and premiums are associated with higher Medicare spending, especially for imaging services that are often believed to be driven by physicians’ fears of malpractice. The 60 percent increase in malpractice premiums between 2000 and 2003 is associated with an increase in total Medicare spending of more than $15 billion.

                      What's this?