Physicians feel that defensive medicine is adding to heath care cost crisis

Defensive medicine is estimated to cost over 650 billion dollars per year, which is 25 – 34% of the United States’ annual healthcare expenditure, according to a study by Jackson Healthcare.

For the study, physicians from across the country were surveyed.

Key findings:

• 92% of physicians surveyed reported practicing some form of defensive medicine, which include ordering unnecessary diagnostic exams, lab work, and surgeries to avoid a lawsuit.
• 83% of physicians ages 25 – 34 reported being taught how to practice defensive medicine in medical school.
• 75% of those surveyed thought that defensive medicine will add to the physician shortage.
• In a 2011 survey of physicians from Canada, New Zealand, UK, and Sweden, no physicians reported ordering unnecessary tests or procedures to avoid a lawsuit.

(Sources: Jackson Healthcare, http://www.jacksonhealthcare.com, September 2011; The Advisory Board Daily Briefing, http://advisory.com, September 28, 2011

Comments

[Spencer @ 4rx]

According to Oregon researchers, the cost of defensive medicine is estimated to be in the $650-$850 billion range. That's between 26 and 34 percent of the annual U.S. healthcare costs. More than 93 million dollars could have been saved if medical guidelines are in place to protect doctors against liability. 4rx

[Florence @ buy xenical]

I'm not surprised to know that doctors order more tests and procedures than needed to protect themselves against lawsuits. A recent survey proves that defensive medicine is the norm. buy xenical