RWJF-Medical Malpractice-Update

This update draws on research conducted by the authors for the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. The authors key findings:

• Except for caps on non-economic damages, there is little or no evidence that most traditional malpractice reforms significantly affect medical liability costs or defensive medicine;
• Although study findings are mixed, the weight of the evidence suggests caps on noneconomic damages substantially reduce average claim payments, modestly constrain the growth of malpractice insurance premiums, and reduce at least some defensive-medicine practices; and
• Several more innovative reforms are promising, though they have not been widely implemented or evaluated.