Leading Causes of Anesthesia-Related Liability Claims in Ambulatory Surgery Centers

Using CRICO Strategies’ Comprehensive Risk Intelligence Tool, The Doctors Company (TDC) conducts in-depth analyses of its medical malpractice data. In this study, TDC worked with clinician Richard Urman, MD, MBA, FASA of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, to analyze TDC’s claims in order to understand what is driving anesthesia-related claims in free-standing ambulatory surgery centers (ASC). Study authors found that ambulatory surgery center claims were more likely to be classified as medium severity than hospital operating room (HOR) claims, more likely to involve dental damage or pain, but less likely to involve death or respiratory or cardiac arrest. Technical performance was the most common contributing factor: 47% of ASCs and 48% of HORs.

Citation for the Full-text Article

Ranum D, Beverly A, Shapiro FE, Urman RD. Leading causes of anesthesia-related liability claims in ambulatory surgery centers. Journal of Patient Safety. November 16, 2017 [post author corrections] . doi: 10.1097/PTS.0000000000000431.