Medical Malpractice

When patients suffer harm as the result of negligent medical care, they are typically entitled to pursue compensation through the courts. Most states have implemented at least one reform measure that limits traditional legal rules and practices, with the goal of reducing the number of medical malpractice claims and/or reducing the average payout of claims. For more than two decades, RAND work has been focused on understanding negligent medical practice; the cost of medical injuries; the effects of various demographic, medical, and legal factors on the number of claims; and the consequences of changing legal remedies on final judgments in medical malpractice cases.