Ten interesting statistics about medical malpractice

Medical malpractice deaths are now the third-leading cause of death in the United States, according to a set of statistics published by Rosenbaum and Associates, an injury and medical malpractice firm in Philadelphia. The statistics include information sourced from peer-reviewed studies, physician surveys, and information retrieved from the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB), a government database of all medical malpractice reports and payments.

1. More than 250,000 people die in the U.S. each year from medical errors and negligence, according to a study by Johns Hopkins University.
2. Medical Malpractice is the third-leading cause of death in the U.S., behind heart disease and cancer.
3. Ninety-nine percent of physicians face at least one medical malpractice lawsuit by age 65, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.
4. Since 2009, a total of $38.5 billion has been paid out to victims of medical malpractice.
5. Ohio ranks 11th in total medical malpractice payouts in the U.S. with $796.87 million between 2009-2018.
6. The average payout for a medical malpractice claim between 2009-2018 was $309,908.
7. The number of medical malpractice reports decreased by 18.5 percent from 14,017 to 11,429 between 2009-2018.
8. Physicians are the highest practitioners to be sued for medical malpractice, with more than 85,000 reports between 2009-2018. The next-highest profession is dentists with 14,510 reports.
9. Six states have caps (a limit on the amount of compensation a party can receive) on total damages in medical malpractice cases, which includes both economic and non-economic damages.
10. Twenty-four states have caps on non-economic damages, including Ohio.

How the medical malpractice attorneys at Lowe Scott Fisher can help

With over three decades of litigation and personal injury experience, the Ohio medical malpractice attorneys at Lowe Scott Fisher have represented the families and victims of medical malpractice.

Contact an experienced, accomplished Cleveland medical malpractice attorney at the law offices of Lowe Scott Fisher Co., LPA, at 216-781-2600 to schedule a no-obligation initial consultation regarding an injury or death caused by a medical mistake.