Emergency Department and Urgent Care Medical Malpractice Claims 2001 –15

This study reviews malpractice, also called medical professional liability (MPL), claims involving adult patients cared for in emergency departments (ED) and urgent care settings.Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of closed MPL claims of adults over 18 years, from the Medical Professional Liability Association ’s Data Sharing Project database from 2001–2015, identifying 6,779 closed claims. Data included the total amount, origin, top medical specialties named, chief medical factors, top medical conditions, severity of injury, resolution, average indemnity, and defense costs of closed claims.Results:Of 6,779 closed claims, 65.9% were dropped, withdrawn, or dismissed. Another 22.8% of claims settled for an average indemnity of $297,709. Of the 515 (7.6%) cases that went to trial, juries returned verdicts for the defendant in 92.6% of cases (477/515). The remaining 7.4% of cases (38/515) were...
Source: Western Journal of Emergency Medicine - Category: Emergency Medicine Source Type: research