I need to compare the medical doctors earnings annually in percents
and comepare it to the percentages of increases to malpractice
insurance that they have to pay.

Hi rc3,


   Good day, and I must say, my facts on medical malpractice have
increased after researching information on this topic.

   Coming to your answer, the average earning by a GP (General
Practitioner) is $105,000 (2001). This figure goes up for surgeons,
the exact figure not known.

   In 1975, the California legislature reacted to a threat by
physicians who were complaining that their malpractice insurance was
too high and that they would leave the state if malpractice damages
were not limited. Non-economic damages were limited to a maximum of
$250,000, regardless of how much pain and suffering was caused by the
malpractice. If a person became totally paralyzed, he or she could be
awarded only $250,000 for harm which could not be translated into
dollars for lost earnings or the cost of medical care. If a husband
and father died because of malpractice, only $250,000 could be awarded
for the loss of his care, comfort and love. Even though more than 25
years have passed and the value of a dollar is much less, the
limitation on these damages has never been raised. There are no
limits, however, to damages that can be awarded for tangible financial
losses, such as lost earnings and the cost of medical care.
(Source :: http://www.blumberglaw.com/medmalfaq.shtml)


GEORGIA CIVIL JUSTICE FOUNDATION Quick Facts on Medical Malpractice 
http://www.civiljustice.org/medical.html
According to the U.S. Congressional Budget Office, "Medical
malpractice premiums amount to less than 1% of national health care
costs."

A set of ratios are given in the site mentioned above. Using these
ratios, every time you go to a doctor and pay a $40 office visit
charge, 26¢ goes toward paying for medical malpractice insurance.

That works out to 0.65%

I hope this answers your question. If you want the answer clarified,
feel free to do so, and I'll get to it as soon as possible. I'm not
happy until you are.

Good day.

Cheers,
aditya2k

---

Request for Answer Clarification by rc3-ga on 15 Jun 2002 21:08 PDT

i need the nationial figures and not just GA. My battle is in MS and
just need tobe armed with recent facts and figures on this subject.
The US Chamber of Commerce is down there trying to scare the folks
into tort reform, saying the doctors are leaving due to ins going up.
I think it is another trick to raise the rates. The ins cos have like
many, lost there coins in the st market and trying to blame it on the
legal awards.

---

Clarification of Answer by aditya2k-ga on 16 Jun 2002 02:44 PDT

Have you checked out the figures on
http://www.civiljustice.org/medical.html ? They are national figures.

What exactly do you mean by GA? Out here, GA is Google Answers, and I
don't think you're referring to it :-)

Some additional links which I feel you may find useful

Medical Malpractice Summary Index of States
http://www.mcandl.com/states.html


A recent article also mentions the following :
In Los Angeles, obstetricians and gynecologists pay between $46,938
and $57,740 in yearly liability premiums, while in Miami, in a state
without tort reform, those rates range between $108,043 and $202,949,
according to the AMA.
( Source :: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2002/06/12/financial1646EDT0264.DTL&type=health
)

Other articles :


Patient Safety: The "Report," The Issues, The NASS Approach
By David A. Wong, MD, MSc, FRCS(C)
http://www.spine.org/wongptsafety.cfm
Patient safety has been a basic tenet of medical practice since
Hippocrates enunciated the principle of “first do no harm” more than a
millennium ago. The limited availability of medical interventions and
relatively primitive state of medical knowledge in Hippocratic times
made such a decree relatively easy to implement. Modern advances in
medical science have provided today’s health care providers with a
myriad of sophisticated, effective treatment options. However,
inherent in these advanced, potent and complex interventions is the
potential for systemic side effects, treatment interaction and
technical failure. The 21st century health care provider must be
diligent in his or her pursuit of safe, effective treatment for
patients.



Patients Killed by Hospital Errors
http://www.massnews.com/0201kill.htm
If the national figures on medical mistakes are extrapolated for
Massachusetts, this would mean that 230-461 hospital patients are
seriously injured by mistakes each week. Because Massachusetts has a
higher than average concentration of hospitals, the rates could be
higher. However, the state Department of Public Health statistics show
on average that there were only 9 medical mistakes per week during
1999 and an anticipated 11 per week in 2000. The number nationwide is
one million patients per year injured by mistakes.


MALPRACTICE CLAIMS HAVE DECREASED 
http://www.wvgazette.com/news/Practice/2001082738/
Doctors in West Virginia say a medical malpractice crisis threatens
the state. Rising insurance rates are driving them to retire early,
limit their practices and even leave the state, they contend. Doctors
and insurers blame the frequency and severity of what they describe as
mostly meritless lawsuits filed against doctors in the Mountain State.
Lawyers say patients deserve compensation when negligent doctors harm
them. Who really pays the high price of medical malpractice?