Does Getting Sued Change Physician Practice?

Being sued can be traumatic for physicians, but whether the experience results in significant changes in practice patterns is unknown. Using a database from 59 emergency departments in 11 states, researchers identified physicians named in malpractice claims and matched them each with up to three control physicians who had not been sued. Visit data were included from the 12 months before and up to 23 months after a malpractice claim date. Outcomes were changes in hospital admission rate, relative value units per shift and per hour, length of stay for discharged patients, and patient satisfaction (Press-Ganey).

The analyses were based on roughly 1.7 million visits involving 65 emergency physicians named in malpractice claims and 140 controls. …