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Urology: Missed Diagnoses May Be Unavoidable

Posted on Feb 27, 2008

To cut their malpractice risks, some urologists have been limiting their practices or referring their most difficult cases. Now, a new study finds those strategies are useless against one of the most common risks: missed or delayed diagnoses. A survey of 469 successful lawsuits against New Yorkurologists found 15% were based on alleged missed diagnoses. Many of those claims had nothing to do with urology.

“Historically, urologists have associated high malpractice risk with complex cases and in-hospital care,” the researchers wrote in The Journal of Urology(2007;178:2537-2539). “However, evolving data indicate that office-based urologists may incur significant diagnostic malpractice risk.”

Led by William J. Badger, MD, a team from Albany Medical College looked at records spanning 20 years from Medical Liability Mutual Insurance Company of New York State. The largest malpractice underwriter in New York, it insures about 400 of the state's 1,100 urologists.

To read the rest of the article go to:

http://www.renalandurologynews.com/Missed-Diagnoses-May-Pose-Unavoidable-Risk/article/107251/