Any doctors here

Submitted by jay1982k t3_11c2r5s in Connecticut

Any docs here? What is malpractice like? Really that big a deal. I keep reading horror stories of lots of suits.

Any other issues/differences from other states?

0

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

Imispellalot t1_ja1k43y wrote

Malpractice is not just for doctors.

9

jay1982k OP t1_ja1kp40 wrote

Well, understood. Wife is a lawyer and reminds me daily. Lol.

4

buried_lede t1_ja1pj3c wrote

Not a doctor, but since nobody is who is responding yet, are you moving here and wondering what Connecticut is like?

Edit: There’s an impression that CT is bad for Med mal suits? I wasn’t aware we stood out in that way. Doesn’t seem to be making a dent, lol

4

jay1982k OP t1_ja2ur9u wrote

Ur saying lots of docs moving in? Is it over saturated? Yes. It is number 2 med mal in per capita and top 5 or 10 depending on what u look at for total suits. Considering only 3 million peeps. Thats quitea bit.

1

buried_lede t1_ja37th7 wrote

What are you reading that says that, do you have a link?

1

jay1982k OP t1_ja3dq78 wrote

https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-states-for-doctors/11376

https://www.rosenbaumfirm.com/medical-malpractice-statistics.html despite having some of the lowest populations its up there

https://farahandfarah.com/studies/medical-malpractice-by-state/ this one is about clinical privileges. Seems kinda harsh.

0

buried_lede t1_ja3qlhw wrote

First link: CT doesn’t rank that high in malpractice and it appears to be based on payouts, not number of cases.

Second link: only reports the total in dollars, where CT ranks 12th, but awards on average will be higher in states where medical costs and cost of living is higher and in line with that, the Northeastern states rank higher in payouts. (Setting aside caps on awards)

The second link also claims that 99-percent of doctors will face a malpractice claim- absurd unless they are counting everyone who “complains to the manager,” about waiting an hour to see a doctor lol. Most doctors in CT will never face a lawsuit, period, and though I don’t have info on complaints to the licensing board, if we assume it is double even, the board here is mild and known to be pro-doctor.

Third link: interestingly, CT doesn’t rank in the top of any of the categories in this study except for limiting clinical privileges. Probably something to look at.

——

https://research.zippia.com/states-that-sue.html

Looking only at the number of med mal lawsuits per capita, this analysis placed CT low indeed on ladder, at 16. This is lower even than Minnesota, that seemingly doctor-happy state with such happy stats in general.

This gives with what I have seen on the court dockets - a pretty reasonable and sober practice area in CT. We aren’t gaga about medical lawsuits.

So, it sounds like what we are really talking about is high payouts ( costs of living in the Northeast being high and no caps) and the interesting aberration about clinical privileges by the licensing board which might have something to do with how they categorize their info more than anything punitive. They don’t suspend licenses much here.

3

jay1982k OP t1_ja3r0e9 wrote

Thank you. I appreciate it.

1

buried_lede t1_ja3skuq wrote

You’re welcome. It is odd how that CT for “limiting privileges” is so high. Not a medical person so don’t know what that might indicate but the article did suggest that it could be how they define that category.

1

jay1982k OP t1_ja3swlr wrote

Yeah im not sure. Worth exploring. I hope theyre not more punitive than other states.

Im a pcp and wish for better qol but not if i ruin my reputation due to a mistake. Im human.

1

buried_lede t1_ja3ufbc wrote

I don’t even know what to say about that because it’s a depressing state of affairs. The profession is very very cya here, more than other places I know just speaking as a patient. It’s the northeast so people move quickly and are less trusting. And they are advised not to resolve things with their patients, but to shut up and let their lawyers escalate the crap out of everything, thus harming the patient more. There are lawsuit shopping patients everywhere I am sure so why trust any patients? But there are so many patients who just want an honest conversation and a fair resolution , such as corrected reports that are riddled with cya fabrications. For more minor care questions, escalating conflicts because of paranoia is common and is so unfortunate.

For more serious errors, it is understandable that fear would be much higher.

Here doctors will come down like a ton of bricks on minor requests for correction. It’s pathetic and really dishonest. I should say many will, not all.

PS: we definitely need more PCPs though, so I hope you come. People wait months to get in as new patients and so many PCPs aren’t taking new patients at all. It’s crazy, so I hope you do come

1

jay1982k OP t1_ja42bco wrote

Id love to.l come to ct. i also need to afford it. If the pay works out i lrobably will. My efforts are generally to dictate in front lf pt. Outside of the bullshit template we all use the hpi, important parts of physical, assessment, plan is all thru dictation so pt can corrext me in office.

Separarely, to cya i sometimes tell ppl what i think, my plan and order it and then also refer or do the escalated next step (advanced imaging) in case im wrong/or meeds more urgency and let them know of it so theyre on board. If they dont wnat to do it up to them. Most patients seem pleased.

I still haven figured iut the patient who comes to me for care accepts the next minor step and then doesnt come to me dor a year even tho i asked them to follow up within a month etc and then blames em for not being urgent. Ugh.

1

buried_lede t1_ja47bez wrote

Huh, interesting last paragraph

As for the cya of documenting facts and communicating well with patients, that’s great but I meant the other kind of cya where people just plain lie to cover up their miserable treatment. Every nurse and doctor having a bad day pawns it off on the patient who took the brunt of it. Lot of high stress

1

jay1982k OP t1_ja4g8v8 wrote

Well thats unfortunate. I dont find primary care stressful. Unless they turn the practice into urgent care. Having an emergency train wreck walk in is. Never fun. Hopefully people like me can give a positive impression but it may take time.

2

buried_lede t1_ja3r87y wrote

Just want to add that the problem with the tort reform crowd is that they are captives of insurance companies, chambers of commerce, and professional groups all wanting to save money, not improve oversight of physicians or increase the quality of care, so the fight just continues ad nauseum. If reforms were only in the hands of people who wanted the latter, maybe we’d get a better result. But victims of malpractice need to be made whole. Frivolous cases here get thrown out so fast it’s not funny

1

buried_lede t1_ja3i8fv wrote

I haven’t crunched the numbers and am not in the medical field but I do have professional experience with the legal system here and know the dockets extremely well. In my experience there are not that many medical malpractice suits in CT. Unless there has been some weird recent uptick, it’s a pretty reasonable number.

What’s super common, like everywhere, are auto accident/personal injury cases, divorces, breach of contract in various forms. Trying to think of what else. But med mal, no, and further, I have to say, the med mal we do have tends to be high quality cases - the firms bringing them are mostly very well qualified. They do their homework before taking and filing a case. They are few but strong, researched prima facie cases and accompanied by affidavits from medical people, which I think are required in initial filings to prevent abuse.

Are you sure your sources are correct about CT? I think you may have the wrong state.

1

jay1982k OP t1_ja3jt4d wrote

No im sure. I looked it up and posted in the other response.

I think knowing what u said is reassuring. But when u look at things like wallethub makes me pause. Connecticut also has the highest number of medical board citations. Thats not med mal but not great.

I feel like a pcp if it is what u said id be ok. Probably if i moved id be aggressive about cya and referrals. Not ideal but maybe as i got comfortable i can do fewer and fewer of these things.

1