2018 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting-594. Neurosurgery Medical Profession Liability Claims in the United States

Video Transcription

Video Summary

In this video, Alainos Medici, a fourth-year medical student at Duke University, presents findings on neurosurgery medical professional liability claims in the United States. He explains that medical malpractice claims occur when a physician fails to meet the standard of care, resulting in patient injuries. Approximately 2.4% of healthcare costs, around $55 billion, are attributed to medical malpractice claims. Neurosurgery is a highly complex field with a higher risk of malpractice claims and costs. Medici discusses the limitations of previous studies and presents his own research objective, which is to characterize the landscape, physician characteristics, and cost burden of neurosurgical malpractice claims. The study analyzed data from the Physician Insurance Association of America, revealing that neurosurgery had the ninth highest total indemnities paid and the highest average payout per malpractice claim. The most common chief medical factors were improper performance, no medical misadventure, and errors in diagnosis. Spine-related conditions and procedures were predominant in these claims. Medici also highlights the association between failure to supervise or monitor cases and claims resulting in patient death. In conclusion, neurosurgery malpractice claims are prevalent and costly, and there is a need for continued medical malpractice reform to improve patient care and reduce healthcare costs.

Asset Caption

Aladine Abdalla Elsamadicy, B.E.

Keywords

neurosurgery

medical professional liability claims

medical malpractice

physician characteristics

cost burden