Malpractice Risk in Ambulatory Settings: Substantial Risk for Dermatologists

Authors of three new studies examined litigation involving physicians in a variety of specialties. Moshell and colleagues report on data voluntarily reported to the Physician Insurers Association of America's registry of claims against physicians since 1985. Of 239,756 closed claims, 2704 (1.1%) involved dermatologists, 28.7% of which resulted in indemnity payments (average, $137,538). Improper performance of an operative procedure on skin was the most common dermatology-related claim, followed by errors in diagnosis (primarily, delayed diagnosis of cutaneous melanoma); claims involving malignant melanoma were paid in 42.2% of cases (average, $436,843). Medication errors, failure to supervise/monitor a case, failure to instruct/communicate …