Medical Malpractice: Folklore, Facts, and the Future
Authors: Randall R. Bovbjerg
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1992)

Editorials1 November 1992Medical Malpractice: Folklore, Facts, and the FutureRandall R. Bovbjerg, JDRandall R. Bovbjerg, JDSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-117-9-788 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptPhysicians and attorneys often can barely converse about malpractice topics. Why cannot doctors and lawyers see eye to eye? Differences in professional selfinterest naturally loom large, but unshared misperceptions play a role as well. The article by Taragin and colleagues (1) in this issue of Annals should help to dispel some misperceptions. This editorial reviews the main folklore and the main real problems; discusses reforms for the short, medium, and long terms; and makes suggestions for the future.Myth versus Reality in MalpracticeMedical myth holds that malpractice law lacks any redeeming social value. Legal myth suggests that law is...References1. TaraginWillettWilczekTroutCarson MLARJ. The influence of standard of care and severity of injury on the resolution of medical malpractice claims. Ann Intern Med. 1992;117:780-4. LinkGoogle Scholar2. Danzon P. Medical Malpractice: Theory, Evidence, & Public Policy. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press; 1985. CrossrefGoogle Scholar3. HansVidmar VN. Judging the Jury. New York: Plenum; 1986. CrossrefGoogle Scholar4. MillsBoydenRubsamen DJD. Report on the medical insurance feasibility study. San Francisco: Sutter Publications; 1977. Google Scholar5. . Patients, Doctors, and Lawyers: Medical Injury, Malpractice Litigation, and Patient Compensation in New York: The Report of the Harvard Medical Practice study to the State of New York. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard Medical Practice Study; 1990. Google Scholar6. . Publications based on Research Under Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Medical Malpractice Program Grants. Princeton, New Jersey; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; 1992. Google Scholar7. BoydenTancredi JL. Identification of designated compensable events (DCEs). In: American Bar Association Commission on Medical Professional Liability. Designated Compensable Event System: A Feasibility Study. Chicago: American Bar Association: 1980:11-51. Google Scholar8. . Committee to Study Medical Professional Liability and the Delivery of Obstetrical Care. Medical Professional Liability and the Delivery of Obstetrical Care. Two volumes. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 1989. Google Scholar9. ZuckermanBovbjergSloan SRF. Effects of tort reforms and other factors on medical malpractice insurance premiums. Inquiry. 1990;27:167-82. MedlineGoogle Scholar10. . A Proposed Alternative to the Civil Justice System for Resolving Medical Liability Disputes: A Faultbased, Administrative System. Chicago: AMA/Specialty Society Medical Liability Project; 1988. Google Scholar11. . A Comprehensive Review of Alternatives to the Present System of Resolving Medical Liability Claims. Lawrenceville, New Jersey: Physician Insurers Association of America; 1989. Google Scholar12. Brennan T. Practice guidelines and malpractice litigation: collision or cohesion? J Health Polit Policy Law. 1991;16:67-85. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar13. HavighurstMetzloff CT. S. 1232—a late entry in the race for malpractice reform. Law and Contemporary Problems. 1991;54:179-97. CrossrefGoogle Scholar14. O'Connell J. Neo-no-fault remedies for medical injuries: coordinated statutory and contractual alternatives. Law and Contemporary Problems. 1986;49:125-41. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar15. . Enterprise responsibility for personal injury, reporters' study. Two volumes. Philadelphia: American Law Institute; 1991. Google Scholar16. WadlingtonWood WJ. Two "no-fault" compensation schemes for birth defective infants in the United States. Professional Negligence. 1991;7:40-4. Google Scholar17. TancrediBovbjerg LR. Advancing the epidemiology of injury and methods for quality control: "ACEs" as an outcomes-based system for quality assurance." Qual Rev Bull. 1992;18:201-9. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar18. BovbjergTancrediGaylin RLD. Obstetrics and malpractice. Evidence on the performance of a selective no-fault system. JAMA. 1991;265:2835-42. CrossrefGoogle Scholar19. . Medical malpractice reform. In: Annual report to Congress. Washington, DC: PPRC; 1992:183-209. Google Scholar20. Wadlington W. Medical injury compensation. A time for testing new approaches [Editorial]. JAMA. 1991;265:2860. CrossrefGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByBeyond Tort Reform: Fixing Real ProblemsMalpractice Crisis and ReformLiability Reform Should Make Patients Safer: “Avoidable Classes of Events” are a Key ImprovementRadiologic Malpractice Litigation: A View of the Past, a Gaze at the Present, a Glimpse of the FutureMedicolegal Implications of Colon Cancer ScreeningDistribution of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Lawyers, and Malpractice Claims in New YorkPractice policies: Potential implications for malpractice litigation 1 November 1992Volume 117, Issue 9Page: 788-791KeywordsForecasting Issue Published: 1 November 1992 PDF DownloadLoading ...