A study published in The Spine Journal examines how malpractice liability impacts spine surgery in the United States.
The researchers examined the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database from 2005 to 2010 and found 707,951 patients who underwent spine surgery during the study period. The researchers found:
1. There were a higher number of claims per 100 physicians in a state that was associated with increased hospital charges and length of stay.
2. There were no associations between the number of claims per physician and mortality.
3. Increased hospital charges were associated with a larger magnitude of awarded claims.
4. There were no associations between awarded claims and mortality.
5. The researchers concluded "aggressive malpractice environment was not correlated with mortality but was associated with higher hospitalization charges after spine surgery."