New Study Says “Defensive Medicine” Costs $46 Billion Annually, But Researchers Admit It is Hard to Calculate
Should we be focusing on the amount of money that is spent on so-called “defensive medicine,” or should we be looking for ways to prevent the 98,000 deaths that happen annually due to medical mistakes? This question is one that has arisen following a recent study.
Defensive medicine is the term used to describe the practice of doctors ordering unnecessary tests and procedures, because they are scared of being sued for malpractice. To date, the argument supporting defensive medicine hasn’t been too convincing. However, that doesn’t seem to stop researchers from trying to drum up figures showing it exists.
One of the most recent studies, which was published in Health Affairs, reported that the yearly cost associated with medical liability hovers around $55.6 billion. According to researchers, a large percentage of this amount ($45.6 billion) is linked to defensive medicine.
Researchers from Harvard University and the University of Melbourne conducted the study. The Wall Street Journal reported that the study authors admitted, “defensive medicine is the hardest piece of the liability costs puzzle to calculate.” Michelle Mello, one of the authors, stated that a portion of the analysis was “based on synthesis of the best available previous” research.
The American Association for Justice (AAJ) believes that limiting the rights of injured patients will do little to lower healthcare costs. The organization feels that the focus should be on decreasing the amount of deaths each year that result from avoidable medical errors.
For more information regarding medical negligence, be sure to order Virginia medical malpractice attorney Ben Glass’s controversial book, Why Most Medical Malpractice Victims Never Recover a Dime.