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Nearly 9 in 10 Florida physicians say they practice defensive medicine

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Jan. 16, 2012

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Eighty-eight percent of Florida doctors said they practiced defensive medicine in the previous 12 months. The same physicians estimated that one-third of health care spending in Florida is related to defensive medicine, according to a representative poll of 321 Florida doctors conducted in December 2011 on behalf of Patients for Fair Compensation, a nonprofit organization advocating for medical liability reform.

The poll defined defensive medicine as the "practice of ordering medical tests, procedures or consultations of doubtful value in order to protect the prescribing physician from malpractice suits."

"Doctors order unnecessary medical care because they are in fear that one mistake could wipe out everything they've ever worked for," said Richard L. Jackson, chair of Patients for Fair Compensation. He's also chair and CEO of Jackson Healthcare, a management and technology company based in the Atlanta area. Patients for Fair Compensation is advocating for legislation to reform medical liability into a no-fault system similar to workers' compensation.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/01/16/gvbf0116.htm.

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