Source: economix.blogs.nytimes.com

A recent study done by a Harvard economist sheds some light on the stark facts of medical malpractice claims. Among the statistics, it was found that about three of four claims in every specialty lead to no payment whatsoever for the plaintiff. Certain specialties present even tougher numbers, where only one in ten claims are won. Overall, approximately 7% of doctors face a claim in a given year, but less than 2% end up making any sort of payment.

Although these numbers seem grim, it’s been shown that anxiety over medical malpractice claims is high for physicians, and this seems to have created an accountability system, “one in which avoidable errors are more likely to be punished and decent care was less likely to be subject to lawsuits,” state the researchers. Obvious as it is, this information is reassuring to those fighting in medical malpractice lawsuits.