Patient safety focus decreased anesthesiologist malpractice claims
Patient Safety Monitor Alert, June 29, 2005
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Anesthesiologists enjoy lower malpractice insurance premiums and face fewer lawsuits because of a concerted effort to improve patient safety, according to an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Instead of seeking legislation to cap malpractice suit awards, The American Society of Anesthesiologists formed the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation to tackle the underlying issues of patient safety that were driving malpractice claims. The results have shown a decrease in premiums over the last 20 years, with some insurance premiums well below $10,000.
Collecting data on closed malpractice claims showed that there were several problem areas in anesthesia, including inserting breathing tubes into the esophagus. By studying the problems in the settled or lost cases, anesthesiologists learned what could be done to increase safety.
Malpractice claims against anesthesiologists dropped from 7.9% in the 1970s to only 3.8% between 1985 and 2001.
To read the complete article, click here.
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