defensive medicine

Study of 4,215 orders shows $226 spent per patient on unnecessary care

  Doctors that are afraid of legal backlash are much more likely to order unnecessary tests and hospitalization, according to a new study published this week in JAMA Internal Medicine. Defensive medicine – a euphemistic term for this practice – is estimated to cost the U.S. more than $46 billion each year. Almost a third of the orders were […]