Amount of Money Collected for Medical Malpractice Settlements in L.A. Increases
Posted on Aug 16, 2010 12:00am PDT
In a report that was released last week, it is stated that the amount of
money Los Angeles County paid to settle
medical malpractice lawsuits increase by a staggering 50% in the past two years. The news is
quite startling as the number of medical malpractice cases filed in the
county has decreased significantly.
A study from the Abaris Group, a Walnut Creek-based health care consulting
firm, reported that Los Angeles County paid $8 million to settle cases
involving medical malpractice in 2005. In 2007, the county paid $12 million.
According to the authors of the report, there are still outstanding claims
for 2008 and 2009, so it was not possible to calculate the total amount
of settlements for those years. However, the report found that the number
of malpractice cases filed against area hospitals and clinics dropped
from 354 in 2002 to 107 in 2009. The authors believe this decrease may
relate to patient safety efforts in the healthcare industry in general
and at the Department of Health Services.
If you have been a victim of medical malpractice, become informed of your
legal options by
contacting our law office and speaking with a Phoenix personal injury attorney.