Abstract
There is much debate on how recent increases in medical malpractice premiums affect patients' access to care. We examined activity levels of neurosurgeons and obstetricians, as well as the incidence of high-risk surgery and patients' travel times in Florida, where malpractice insurance premiums have soared since 2000. Compared with 1997-2000, we found that during 2000-2003, many neurosurgeons cut back their volume of brain surgeries and that craniotomy patients traveled longer for care without any significant change in the overall incidence of craniotomies. Women undergoing high-risk deliveries did not see increases in travel times.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 802-810 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Health Affairs |
Volume | 24 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 2005 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health Policy