The Impact of Malpractice Liability Claims on Obstetrical Practice Patterns.

Medical malpractice in obstetrics continues to attract scrutiny. This paper examines the impact of physicians’ malpractice claims on Caesarian section rates and physician delivery volume in Florida between 1992 and 2000. The author found that malpractice claims led to a small reduction in physician delivery volume but did not significantly impact C-section rates. Physicians performed six fewer inpatient deliveries three years after a malpractice claim closed, while those with malpractice awards of $250,000 or more performed, on average, 14 fewer deliveries, about 10 percent of a physician’s annual delivery volume. While patient access to obstetrical care in Florida does not appear to be compromised by malpractice claims, this finding suggests that tort reforms with damage caps of $250,000 may limit reduction in average delivery volume.