A new study found Arizona is the No. 6 safest state for medical malpractice as payouts reached record highs across the nation in 2023.
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A record average payment of $415,000 was made to medical malpractice victims across the country last year including an unprecedented 284 payouts above $2 million, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Surgeons amputated the wrong leg, operated on the wrong side of the brain, and failed to anesthetize patients for surgery.
Regan Zambri Long today released a study on the Record Rise in Medical Malpractice after analyzing data across three categories from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 2019-2024.
In Arizona, the average medical malpractice payout was $375,259, there were 209.4 disciplinary action reports per 1,000 practitioners, and 32.8 payouts per 1,000 practitioners.
Key Findings
- Georgia Is the State With the Most Medical Malpractice Payouts: Driven by a high average payout for medical malpractice claims ($518,453), as well as above-average rates of disciplinary actions (297) and malpractice payouts (91.6). The top 10 riskiest states are dominated by the Midwest (#3 Illinois, #4 Minnesota, #5 South Dakota and #8 Wisconsin) and the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic (#6 Maryland, #9 Massachusetts, #10 Pennsylvania).
- Missouri Is the State With the Least Medical Malpractice Payouts: It had one of the lowest disciplinary action rates (120.7) in the country, and a lower average malpractice payment ($375,259). Meanwhile, four of the top 10 safest states are in the South: #2 Mississippi, #4 Texas, #5 Oklahoma and #10 North Carolina.
- Disciplinary Action and Malpractice Payout Rates Don’t Always Match: Consequences for negligence vary across the states. For example, New York had both the lowest rate of disciplinary actions (92.5) and the highest rate of medical malpractice payments (129.2) per 1,000 practitioners.
