Physicians

All physicians are acutely sensitive to the risk of lawsuits. A recent study found that between 70 and 80 percent of all obstetricians had been sued, and the percentage of neurosurgeons and other medical specialists is equally as high. It seems that the public now perceives doctors, like auto mechanics, as capable of fixing any problem with the right tools and a good supply of parts. When these unreasonable expectations are not met—when a surgery or procedure is not successful—the patient and his family conclude that the only explanation is that the doctor must have been at fault. It is not fate, nature, or an act of God that is blamed for the misfortune. (It is much too difficult to collect a judgment from these parties.) As a result, many doctors have been forced to significantly narrow the scope of their practice to eliminate even modestly risky procedures. This type of defensive medicine inevitably drives up healthcare costs for everyone.