Patients in Ohio can suffer severe consequences when an anesthesiologist makes a mistake. A new study on payments for medical malpractice claims filed against anesthesiologists found that the most common outcome for patients who were the subject of the claims was death. The study looked at 2,408 payments that were made over a period between 2005 and 2013.
Researchers from the University of California Irvine School of Medicine conducted the study using information from the National Practitioner Data Bank. The study findings were presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists 2015 annual meeting. According to researchers, payments for medical malpractice claims related to anesthesiology declined significantly during the period that was studied. In 2005, spending for claims reached $174.4 million while spending for claims in 2013 was only $91.1 million. The study also showed that more claims are increasingly being filed against anesthesiologists operating in outpatient settings.
The increase in outpatient anesthesia claims can be explained by the relative growth in outpatient anesthesia services. Over the period of the study, payments for anesthesia-related medical malpractice claims decreased in both the outpatient and inpatient settings. Payments for outpatient claims decreased by 24.3 percent, and payments for inpatient claims decreased by 45.5 percent.
After an anesthesia accident, a person who has been harmed may want to consider meeting with an attorney to discuss whether or not a medical negligence lawsuit should be filed against the health care practitioner or facility. An attorney who has experience with this type of litigation can explain the procedures that need to be followed as well as the types of evidence that should be presented.