RAND study agrees: Improving patient safety will reduce malpractice claims
For decades, Public Citizen has urged Congress and regulators to address the patient safety crisis. We told them that reducing medical errors would also reduce the claims and the associated costs. Today, the RAND Corporation – an independent, non-profit research firm – released a report confirming our assertions. They write:
Our results showed a highly significant correlation between the frequency of adverse events and malpractice claims: On average, a county that shows a decrease of 10 adverse events in a given year would also see a decrease of 3.7 malpractice claims. Likewise, a county that shows an increase of 10 adverse events in a given year would also see, on average, an increase of 3.7 malpractice claims. According to the statistical analysis, nearly three-fourths of the variation in annual malpractice claims could be accounted for by the changes in patient safety outcomes. (Emphasis added)
In other words, the best way to reduce medical malpractice lawsuits is to increase patient safety. You can read the report for yourself here.