RISK Neurosurgery malpractice insurance premiums are among the most expensive in the industry. Here are the categories established in Louisiana where Richard Corales works. Some doctors at teaching hospitals have time allotted to read and perform research. Those are workdays without patients. And he utilizes the skills of his colleauges.
Most neurosurgeons have specialties.
They're a close-knit group, says Corales, who primarily handles pituitary surgery, aneurysms and tumors. If a patient has a problem Corales sees rarely, he'll make a referral to another physician who knows that condition. With faxes, digital images and e-mail, it doesn't take long to find someone with the specialty a patient needs. Making referrals diminishes some of the grueling workload of a brain surgeon, but it doesn't create more free time. On many days, by the time the staff arrives at either of the two offices Corales and his three partners maintain, he already has performed two surgeries and started rounds at the hospital.