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Steep Malpractice Insurance Premiums Prompt Some Doctors to Mull Next Career Move

Obstetricians and gynecologists (Ob-gyns) collectively claim steep medical malpractice premiums — typically $200,000 a year for a New York-licensed physician — cause some physicians to consider leaving the field, according to the Staten Island (N.Y.) Advance.

Worse yet, if a doctor loses a malpractice case or is tried in court but wins, insurance rates could double or triple. In some cases, a physician with a “track record” of malpractice suits/claims against his or her practice could be considered a risk and be dropped by an insurance carrier.

Birthing Process Could Become Non-Descript

This would “sterilize” the birthing process, so to speak, where a mother would be under the medical guidance of a total stranger – a doctor employed by a hospital who would be covered under the hospital’s corporate health insurance policy.

"I think it's going to compromise the care," said Dr. David Herzog, attending physician and teacher at Richmond University Medical Center on Staten Island. “A baby's birth will become a sterile procedure instead of a beautiful experience. It's inevitable if the current system continues."

Herzog, who has delivered thousands of babies in the last 17 years, was found not liable last month by a jury in a multimillion-dollar medical malpractice lawsuit which accused him of causing cerebral palsy in a premature born baby.

Herzog still has three pending cases court records show. And years ago, he settled another medical malpractice case. However, he has never been disciplined by the New York State Office of Professional Medical Conduct, according to The Advance. The annual medical malpractice premium for Herzog’s practice -- which includes three other doctors -- is $700,000.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists web site said OB-gyns typically can have three claims filed against them in their careers. "All too often, doctors are held liable for less-than-perfect outcomes," said Dr. Ralph W. Hale, the association’s executive vice president. The web site went on to report some catastrophic injuries such as cerebral palsy can be caused by congenital or genetic abnormalities, or intrauterine strokes.

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