Oncologic Errors in Diagnostic Radiology: A 10-Year Analysis Based on Medical Malpractice Claims.

Purpose: To retrospectively analyze the nature and extent of oncology-related errors accounting for malpractice allegations in diagnostic radiology.

Methods: The Comparative Benchmarking System of the Controlled Risk Insurance Company, a database containing roughly 30% of medical malpractice claims in the United States, was searched retrospectively for the period 2008 to 2017. Claims naming radiology as a primary service were identified and were stratified and compared by oncologic versus nononcologic status, allegation type (diagnostic versus nondiagnostic), and imaging modality.

An Examination of Medical Malpractice Claims Involving Physician Trainees.

Purpose: To identify patient-, provider-, and claim-related factors of medical malpractice claims in which physician trainees were directly involved in the harm events.

Method: The authors performed a case-control study using medical malpractice claims closed between 2012-2016 and contributed to the Comparative Benchmarking System database by teaching hospitals. Using the service extender flag, they classified claims as cases if physician trainees were directly involved in the harm events.

Breakdowns in the initial patient-provider encounter are a frequent source of diagnostic error among ischemic stroke cases included in a large medical malpractice claims database.

Background Misdiagnosis of dangerous cerebrovascular disease is a substantial public health problem. We sought to identify and describe breakdowns in the diagnostic process among patients with ischemic stroke to facilitate future improvements in diagnostic accuracy. Methods We performed a retrospective, descriptive study of medical malpractice claims housed in the Controlled Risk Insurance Company (CRICO) Strategies Comparative Benchmarking System (CBS) database from 1/1/2006 to 1/1/2016 involving ischemic stroke patients.

Medical Malpractice Involving Pulmonary/Critical Care Physicians.

Background: Medical malpractice data can be leveraged to understand specialty-specific risk.

Methods: Malpractice claims were examined from the Comparative Benchmarking System (2007-2016), a national database containing > 30% of claims data in the United States. Claims were identified with either internal medicine or pulmonary/critical care (PCC) physicians as the primary provider involved in the harm.