Deiderich Healthcare is part of a group of companies which offer medical malpractice insurance to healthcare providers throughout the country. For the last four years, they have offered an analysis of medical malpractice payouts throughout the country, to help their clients understand the changing world in which they practice medicine. The 2015 analysis covers amounts from 2014, and once again the amount of the payouts has increased overall. Ohio experienced a small dip in numbers (-3.31%) but Kentucky went up +48.8% from the year before.
Why the payments were made
According to Diederich Healthcare’s findings, diagnostic errors led the pack for the most malpractice payouts, at 33%, followed by surgical errors (24%) and treatment errors (19%). This information supports other research we have discussed about the increase in inaccurate diagnoses. The analysis also revealed which kinds of injuries made up those payments:
- Death, 30%
- Significant permanent injury, 18%
- Major permanent injury, 17%
- Minor permanent injury, 9%
- Major temporary injury, 8%
- Other, 5%
That death leads the group by a significant percentage is worrisome, though that does not detract from the severity of an unidentified “significant permanent injury” in any way. Furthermore, the average wrongful death payment amounted to just over $350,000 – less than significant permanent injuries or major permanent injuries, and less than payments made to those who suffered with paralysis or brain damage, which would then require life-long care. This begs the question: if quadriplegia and brain damage are not considered “significant” or “major” permanent injuries, what is?
Where that leaves us
While Ohio may not have seen an increase in medical malpractice payouts this year, victims still collected almost $6.7 million dollars, a significant amount. In Kentucky, the total amount of medical malpractice payouts fell just shy of $4.9 million.
Ideally, the payout for medical malpractice claims would be zero, because there would be zero acts of negligence leading to such claims. At least now, though, we have a better idea of what kinds of claims people are making, here in Ohio and Kentucky, and throughout the country. If healthcare providers were as transparent at the Diederich Group is, we would all have a better chance of choosing a doctor who is right for us.
Crandall & Pera Law provides comprehensive legal counsel for victims of medical malpractice in Kentucky and Ohio. Please contact us to schedule a consultation time at one of our multiple office locations with a dedicated medical negligence attorney.