Medical Malpractice Facts
Working as a medical professional comes with the risk of being accused of malpractice. Doctors and nurses make many mistakes, but most of the mistakes are harmless and do not result in negative patient outcomes. Your team will catch the mistake early, or the error causes no significant adverse effects. A valid malpractice claim typically stems from an error which materially impacted a patient’s health negatively.
At Snyder Heitman LLC, we watch the medical malpractice industry closely. Below, we highlight some important statistics to help professionals understand the typical claim they are facing. Contact us if you want to discuss a current or possible claim against you.
Number of Claims & Average Settlement
According to a report from Zipdo, there were roughly 85,000 medical malpractice payments in the United States in 2022. The total amount of payouts reached nearly $6 billion, which was a 9% increase from the year before.
The claim rate clocks in at 8.5 per 100,000 people. For a hospital, claims occur at roughly 10 per 1,000 beds. If a hospital has only 500 beds, then it should see on average about 5 claims a year.
The average medical malpractice claim payout is roughly $450,000. About 1 in 8 claims exceed $1 million. Of course, these numbers do not include all the claims that are dismissed in litigation. These numbers represent only meritorious claims where a patient receives a check, usually from a malpractice insurer.
Defense costs are roughly $110,000, but nearly a third will exceed $200,000. The cost of a defense includes the cost of lawyers and expert witnesses. These numbers are not solely for those who end up at trial.
Who is Sued Most?
The same study found that smaller medical practices ended up accounting for 40% of all claims. Because these smaller practices serve only 15% of the patient population, they are heavily overrepresented in claims.
These numbers show how important malpractice insurance is for a smaller office. Even one claim could take a bite out of profits. Larger practices, including hospitals, account for fewer claims given the population they serve, and these larger organizations can better spread out the costs to thousands of patients in any given year.
How We Can Help Those Facing Malpractice Claims
Snyder Heitman LLC has worked with medical professionals and hospitals facing medical malpractice claims. Your choice of legal counsel is one of the most critical choices you can make. It will impact the entire process, from claim investigation to potential settlement.
Call us if you have questions. A proactive approach is best, which means fully reviewing patient files and talking about the dispute with a seasoned defense attorney. We can advise you about what evidence or records you will need to preserve and how to prepare for a deposition.
Schedule a Consultation Today
Snyder Heitman LLC provides top-shelf legal defense to medical professionals. Reach out to discuss any claim with a lawyer at our office. A consultation with a Greenville medical defense lawyer is confidential.
Source:
zipdo.co/medical-malpractice-claims-statistics/