BALTIMORE, MD—A new study by a Florida-based personal injury law firm, FHV Legal, has ranked Maryland as the third riskiest state in the nation for medical malpractice, coinciding with a separate state health report showing a fourth consecutive annual increase in medical errors.
The analysis by FHV Legal, which examined data from the National Practitioner Data Bank, gave Maryland a “Miscare Score” of 71.45, placing it behind only Delaware and South Carolina. The study’s score was based on two metrics: the number of Adverse Action Reports (AARs) and Medical Malpractice Payment Amounts.
According to the firm’s findings, Maryland has the second-highest malpractice payout amount among the top 10 states, at $67.54 million per 1,000 practitioners.
The report notes a disproportionate risk among certain professions within the state. Maryland’s Registered Nurses have the highest Miscare Score at 75, largely due to a high number of adverse action reports. Osteopathic Physicians (DOs) ranked second with a Miscare Score of 71.9 but recorded the highest malpractice payouts in the state at $203.58 million per 1,000 practitioners.
The findings come as the Maryland Department of Health’s fiscal year 2023 report on its Maryland Hospital Patient Safety Program documented a continued rise in adverse events. The department attributes the increase in part to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including staffing shortages, high patient acuity, and supply chain disruptions.
The World Health Organization reports that around 1 in 10 patients is harmed in health care, with more than 3 million deaths occurring annually due to unsafe care. In the U.S. specifically, surgical errors are estimated to be the primary issue in 75% of malpractice cases involving surgeons.
The study from FHV Legal highlights a trend of rising patient safety concerns in Maryland, drawing a direct line between the state’s official reports on medical errors and its high ranking in national malpractice data.
Riskiest US States for Medical Malpractice
Rank
State
Adverse Action Reports Per 1k Practitioners
Medical Malpractice Amount Per 1k Practitioners (in Million USD)
Miscare Score
1
Delaware
694.27
41.94
78.6
2
South Carolina
618.34
52.56
73.5
3
Maryland
600.75
67.54
71.45
4
Utah
654.92
39.69
70.4
5
Louisiana
696.58
31.67
69.4
6
Georgia
512.55
90.39
69.35
7
Kentucky
628.28
36.26
65.3
8
Washington
641.96
32.16
62.25
9
Michigan
688.54
27.29
61.2
9
Oregon
614.56
34.44
61.2
Photo by Pixabay from Pexels
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