Defensive medicine refers to any medical practice that a doctor or healthcare professional undertakes to avoid or minimize the chance of a malpractice lawsuit.
Defensive medicine refers to any medical practice that a doctor or healthcare professional undertakes not to serve the best interests of the patient, but to avoid or minimize the chance of a malpractice lawsuit. Defensive medicine results in billions of wasted dollars every year, a price that eventually trickles down to the patient.
Examples of Defensive Medicine
When a healthcare professional bases a decision not on what is best for the patient, but on what will give him or her the least exposure to liability, the professional is practicing defensive medicine.
Some examples of defensive medicine include:
- Ordering unnecessary tests.
- Prescribing medication at higher doses or for longer periods than necessary.
- Overtreating patients with antibiotics.
- Avoiding high-risk patients.
- Performing unnecessary procedures.
A disconcerting aspect of defensive medicine is that most patients have no idea when it is being practiced on them.
The Cost of Defensive Medicine
According to a 2014 report in JAMA Internal Medicine, the practice of defensive medicine costs Americans around $46 billion each year. Equally concerning is how pervasive the practice is. The same report found that 28 percent of orders and 13 percent of costs reviewed were at least partially defensive, while nearly three percent were completely defensive.
For Help With a Medical Malpractice Issue, Call Newsome | Melton Today at 800-916-7333 for a Free Case Evaluation
The medical malpractice attorneys at Newsome | Melton want to hear from you about any issues you are facing. We can help you recover damages for injuries you suffered in a medical malpractice incident. To get a free consultation, call 800-916-7333 today.
Defensive Medicine - Frequently Asked Questions
If you, your loved one, or your child suffered injuries during a medical procedure in Florida, you might be eligible for compensation—even if no malpractice occurred. Florida’s patient compensation funds provide money for specific injuries. If you are eligible for one of these funds, you could get paid without having to file for medical malpractice.
Read More
According to statistics published by the National Institute of Health, more than six times as many operations of gastric bypass surgery were performed in the last decade of the 20th century. Although the statistics are not yet available for the first decade of the 21st century, the Institute expects the current pace of more gastric
Read MoreDefensive Medicine - News Articles
Six years ago, Silvino Perez underwent open heart surgery to bypass a blocked artery. The operation was performed by Dr. Pervaiz Chaudhry at the Community Regional Medical Center in April 2012. Chaudhry, 57, was then associated with the Valley Cardiac Surgery Medical Group located in Fresno, California. According to a medical malpractice lawsuit Chaudhry completed
Read More
Iowa Jury Finds Nurse Anesthetist & Medical Group Negligent for Wrongful Death; Family Awarded $10 Million Towards the end of 2014, Richard J. Pellock and his wife, Joann, waited nervously for his bladder test results. Pellock, then 80, had been experiencing pain during urination and the couple, married for 54 years, were hoping to
Read More