Survey: Lawsuit Fears Drive Overtesting, Overtreatment

More than nine of 10 U.S. physicians said doctors overtest and overtreat in order to shield themselves from malpractice lawsuits, according to a survey published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Survey co-author Tara Bishop, an internist at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, noted that "defensive medicine" likely costs the U.S. health care system billions of dollars annually and that many physicians can still be sued even if they follow guidelines for typical standards of care.

• "9 in 10 Docs Blame Lawsuit Fears for Overtesting" (Tanner, AP/Chicago Tribune, 6/28).