Changes in Clinical Practice Among Physicians with Legal Problems

David Studdert, LLB, ScD, MPH with Co-Authors Michelle Mello, PhD, JD & Matthew Spittal, PhD

Recent evidence indicates that a small group of physicians accounts for a surprisingly large share of all malpractice claims and patient complaints.  Next to nothing is known about the career trajectories of these claim-prone physicians.  Do they continue to practice, and if so, do they alter their clinical load?  Do they cut ties—voluntarily or involuntarily—with hospitals and large practice groups?  Do they seek to put their checkered history behind them by relocating—interstate or to areas where clinicians are in short supply?  We explore these questions in a large cohort of US physicians. 

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