As one of the largest parts of the budget under the government, Medicare is a program that services a large part of the population. However, as the rate of medical malpractice cases being filed continues to rise, it does have an adverse effect on the Medicare system in a myriad of different ways.
At Snyder & Wenner, P.C., located in Phoenix, Arizona, we have experience exposing how Medicare costs continue to rise due to medical malpractice and how this can harm patients. We build strong cases that demonstrate this travesty.
In some situations, doctors are inflating the cost of Medicare patients by excessively ordering tests to avoid a medical malpractice lawsuit. Some doctors have stopped ordering certain tests because Medicare funding is being cut.
On the flipside, the opposite is also happening. In order to avoid increasing Medicare costs and not being reimbursed, some doctors are not ordering tests and committing medical malpractice by failing to diagnose a condition because they did not order a needed test or procedure. Some hospitals and doctors are also finding themselves exposed to malpractice liability in situations in which a patient is harmed after a physician fails to order tests or procedures, to hospitalize the patient, or to keep the patient in the hospital in an effort to save Medicare costs.
Some studies have been conducted to show an association between higher medical malpractice costs and insurance premiums in relation to patterns in Medicare service usage, and ultimately, increased Medicare spending.
If you believe you or a family member has been harmed because using Medicare has affected the quality of care, we encourage you to contact us to schedule a free consultation to speak with our knowledgeable Phoenix medical malpractice lawyers.