Cost of defending liability claims rising

The average cost of defending a physician against a medical liability claim in 2010 was $47,158, an increase of 62.7% compared with 2001, according to a new study.

The report by the Physician Insurers Association of America analyzed indemnity and expense payments, claims dispositions, and policy limits based on a sample of liability claims that closed between 2001 and 2010.

Among the other findings:

"We all pay the price for our broken medical liability system and the direct effect it has on the cost of medical care," Carmel added.