Huge malpractice awards against physicians and hospitals are on the rise, Medscape reported Feb. 2.
The increase in high-pay verdicts could be due to the rollback of tort reforms, plaintiffs' attorneys possibly holding back on resolving cases during the pandemic and pursuing high-dollar cases once courts returned to normal, or that people came out of the pandemic angrier, experts told the news outlet.
Here are three stats to know about the increasing malpractice verdicts:
- New York, Illinois and Florida had the highest-dollar verdicts in previous years, they are being awarded in states such as Utah and Georgia as well.
- In 2023, there were 57 medical malpractice verdicts of $10 million or more, with more than half of those hit at least $25 million.
- The cases of verdicts more than $10 million reached 52 in 2022; there were 24 such cases in 2013.