The death dilemma: Are hospitals overtreating patients nearing the end?

Re:The death dilemma: Are hospitals overtreating patients ne... by sxg on Saturday October 08, 2022 @10:43AM (#33132699)

I wouldn’t characterize it as “paranoid about litigation”. Lawsuits against physicians are common, and you absolutely have to consider the small but real risk of having to defend your actions in court. I’m a physician and see this play out all the time, and there’s a reason malpractice insurance is as expensive as it is.

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Re:The death dilemma: Are hospitals overtreating patients ne... by toast0 on Saturday October 08, 2022 @11:03AM (#33132880)

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you. Justified paranoia is still paranoia.

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Re:The death dilemma: Are hospitals overtreating patients ne... by s1artibartfast on Saturday October 08, 2022 @06:28PM (#33136641)

No it quite literally isn't

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Re:The death dilemma: Are hospitals overtreating patients ne... by oa335 on Saturday October 08, 2022 @11:44AM (#33133259)

How expensive is malpractice insurance, as a proportion of your salary?

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Re:The death dilemma: Are hospitals overtreating patients ne... by sxg on Saturday October 08, 2022 @12:02PM (#33133418)

Depends on the specialty, but roughly $500–$1500 (higher for surgeons and proceduralists; ~5% of your salary). However, if you work as an employee for a hospital or a large group practice, you don't pay for malpractice insurance directly. The institution covers it, but obviously it will indirectly impact your salary.

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Re:The death dilemma: Are hospitals overtreating patients ne... by pixelmonkey on Saturday October 08, 2022 @05:56PM (#33136394)

Malpractice can be $30-$90k/year for an OB-GYN. Hospitals may cover part of this, but a private practice may not. This is a huge percentage of an OB-GYN salary, and creates negative career satisfaction across the specialty. (As if medical school debt and the residency hazing process were not enough.)

In private practice, OB's also often have to pay for their own tail insurance, which also means if they quit the practice, they have to pay malpractice insurance (basically in perpetuity) to protect against late-arriving lawsuits. This also traps physicians in their job/specialty and makes early retirement challenging.

It's a great system. /s

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