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Study links ‘aggressive’ malpractice environment with high hospitalization charges
According to results of this study, a higher number of paid malpractice claims per 100 physicians in a state did not correlate with mortality after spinal surgery.
“In the present national study, [an] aggressive malpractice environment was not correlated with mortality, but was associated with higher hospitalization charges after spine surgery. Further research is needed to identify ways to regulate the malpractice system to address these disparities,” the authors wrote.
To study the potential link between malpractice liability with unfavorable results and hospitalization charges, researchers conducted a retrospective study of 709,951 patients who underwent spinal surgery between 2005 and 2010 and were registered with the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS). The investigators used information from the National Practitioner Data Bank during that same period to determine the size and volume of paid malpractice claims, and used the Area Resource File to note the state-wide distribution of orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons and physicians.
A multivariate regression analysis revealed a direct correlation between a greater number of malpractice claims per 100 physicians in a state with greater hospitalization charges and longer length of stay. However, researchers found no direct correlation between the number of paid malpractice claims per 100 physicians in a state and patient mortality after surgery (with an odds ratio of 0.99). – by Robert Linnehan
Disclosures: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.