Illinois' increasing malpractice insurance rates due to bad doctors
The simple truth about rising medical malpractice rates in Illinois is finally coming to light. A recent article in the Chicago Tribune highlights one of the core problems with rising medical malpractice rates in Chicago: negligent doctors. It seems simple enough, but it is a cause of the problem that is rarely heard over tort reformist’s battle cry of frivolous lawsuits...
According to recent statistics put out by the National Practitioner Data Bank (run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services), from 1990 to 2004, only 5.5 percent of doctors account for 57.3 percent of all malpractice payments. In addition, only 11.4 percent of doctors who have made three or more malpractice payouts have ever been disciplined, according to Public Citizen's recent overview of state medical boards. In Illinois, just 5 percent of doctors make up one-third of all malpractice costs. A large part of the problem stems from lack of regulation by state disciplinary boards. Illinois ranks 25th amongst all states in desciplinary actions taken against doctors, roughly 3 actions out of every 1000 doctors per year. See related article here.