Published online August 1, 2006
PEDIATRICS Vol. 118 No. 2 August 2006, pp. 464-468 (doi:10.1542/peds.2005-3112)
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ARTICLE

What Pediatricians Should Know About Child-Related Malpractice Payments in the United States

Zeev N. Kain, MD, MBA, FAAPa,b and Alison A. Caldwell-Andrews, PhDa

a Center for the Advancement of Perioperative Health and Departments of Anesthesiology
b PediatricsChild Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to examine child-related National Practitioner Data Bank data.

METHODS. Data were obtained from the National Practitioner Data Bank.

RESULTS. the period from February 1, 2004, through December 31, 2005, a total of 30195 malpractice payments were made on behalf of practitioners in the United States; 14% of those payments (4107 of 30195 payments) were child related. During the period analyzed, $1.73 billion were paid for malpractice cases involving children. More than 95% of all payments were the result of settlements and only ~5% the result of judgments. The average child-related malpractice payment was significantly greater than an adult-related malpractice payment ($422000 vs $247000); however, child-related malpractice payments were only one half as likely to occur, compared with adult-related malpractice payments. Significant geographic variability was found in the numbers and sizes of child-related malpractice payments. Failure to diagnose was the leading reason for child-related payments (18%), followed by improper performance (9%), delay in diagnosis (9%), and improper management (6%). Finally, we found that ~40% of all malpractice awards were the result of surgical or obstetrical issues.

CONCLUSIONS. Practicing pediatricians should be aware of the existence of a mandatory electronic depository that documents all malpractice settlements and judgments involving practitioners.

Key Words: malpractice • National Practitioner Data Bank • pediatricians

Abbreviations: NPDB—National Practitioner Data Bank

Accepted Mar 6, 2006.


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