What is Defensive Medicine?
Ans:
Doctors in recent years have admitted to and have been accused of prescribing additional tests or procedures to justify their care, strengthen support for their decisions or simply to corroborate their diagnosis. This defensiveness is a result of lawsuits, malpractice claims and the onslaught of external UR entities questioning care decisions. Defensive medicine is said to be one of the primary causes of the increasing cost of health care. Many physicians and the AMA fight for tort reform to reduce the need for defensive medicine. However, patient groups and patient advocates, not in favor of tort reform, explain that the right to sue for malpractice is a valid method of holding physicians accountable for mistakes made.