Surgery Mistake Statistics & Medical Malpractice Facts

By Rasansky McKenzie

Physicians at the University of California at San Diego recently took a close look at medical malpractice data collected from around the country in an attempt to better understand how surgical errors happen, how medical malpractice settlements are reached, and how we can improve the med mal system for both doctors and patients.

Using information on about 60,000 medical malpractice cases from the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) collected over the last two decades, the group was able to examine trends, common surgical errors, and other statistics and share them at the American College Of Surgeons’ recent meeting. Here are a few highlights:

• Of all of the medical malpractice claims filed, 62 percent were filed by females.
• The mean age of a person who files medical malpractice claims is 42 years old.
• The number of medical malpractice claims has been dropping since 1990.
• The average amount of medical malpractice claims has increased, to roughly $133,000.
• Texas has one of the lowest average medical malpractice payout rates in the country.
• Five percent of medical malpractice claims are settled in court.
• 95 percent of medical malpractice claims are paid through insurance companies. The remaining claims are paid through state funds.
• 15 percent of medical malpractice cases involved a fatal patient outcome. Almost 20 percent of cases involved a major permanent injury.
• The medical malpractice claims with the highest payouts involved paralysis, quadriplegia, brain damage, and other injuries that require ongoing care.

What were the most common surgery mistakes?

• Improper performance
• Foreign object left in body
• Improper management
• Wrong body part
• Lack of informed consent
• Unnecessary procedure
• Failure to recognize a complication

A surgical error or other type of medical malpractice incident can result in serious injury, emotional damage, and ongoing medical costs. Make certain that you receive the compensation that you deserve by speaking to a Dallas surgeon malpractice lawyer. Contact Rasansky | McKenzie Law today at (214) 651-6100.

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