Medical Malpractice Payouts By State

An analysis of medical malpractice payouts from 2011 - 2013 published by The Washington Post shows that more than $3.7 billion were awarded last year.

The top ten states per capita in awards paid out were:

1. New York - $689,800,300
2. Pennsylvania - $356,855,500
3. New Jersey - $249,865,850
4. Massachusetts - $140,476,500
5. Connecticut - $53,832,750
6. Washington, DC - $7,368,750
7. Maryland - $102,158,550
8. Rhode Island - $36,407,000
9. New Hampshire - $25,491,250
10. Illinois - $173,048,750

 Source: Government data compiled by Jeremy Gower of Diederich Healthcare, a medical malpractice insurer. 

Top Medical Errors Report Released by Senator Barbara Boxer

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) released an updated report detailing the most common and harmful errors at our nation’s hospitals and what hospitals in California are doing to prevent them.

According to the report, each year, between 210,000 and 440,000 Americans die as a result of preventable errors in hospitals, such as hospital-acquired infections, adverse drug reactions, patient falls and bedsores — numbers equivalent to a jumbo jet crashing every day with no survivors.

Research has also found that the direct costs of medical errors total $19.5 billion annually and that the economic costs of medical errors, including lost productivity, could be as much as $1 trillion a year.

The report lists the 9 most common medical errors as follows.

• Adverse Drug Events
• Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections
• Central Line-Associated Blood Stream Infections
• Injuries from Falls and Immobility
• Obstetrical Adverse Events
• Pressure Ulcers (Bedsores)
• Surgical Site Infections
• Venous Thromboembolism (Blood Clots)
• Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia 

For more information, see Sen. Boxer's website.

There Is No Medical Malpractice in Wisconsin

A former top medical malpractice attorney from Milwaukee, is quoted saying that "There is no medical malpractice in Wisconsin," in a watch dog report in the Journal Sentinel: Medical malpractice lawsuits plummet in Wisconsin.

The report blames state med mal caps and a $1 billion malpractice insurance fund from discouraging claims even in the face of apparent wrongdoing. According the article:

"The number of medical malpractice lawsuits filed in Wisconsin fell to 140 last year, a drop of more than 50% since 1999, court records show. Malpractice lawyers blame the decline on state laws that they say are skewed in favor of doctors and hospitals; medical groups contend that malpractice suits have declined because health care professionals have gotten better at their jobs."

 Further...

"At the same time, a state-run malpractice insurance fund — created because of fears that medical malpractice insurance premiums would skyrocket without it — has grown to more than $1.15 billion, a total larger than all the money it has paid out during its entire 39-year history."

 Read more in this 2-part series.

Part 1: Medical malpractice meltdown | Medical lobby is a powerhouse in Wisconsin Capitol

Part 2: No malpractice lawyers will take case in death of Wisconsin baby | Malpractice insurance business is booming in Wisconsin and nation