Physicians have different scopes of practice relevant to their specialty. Some specialties have higher risk of being the subject of a malpractice action than other specialties. Malpractice information should not be interpreted in isolation when evaluating a physician. Malpractice awards are divided into three categories, low, medium and high, based on the dollar amount of the award.
When reviewing this information, it should be noted that physicians has been in practice since their license date issued. The recipient of this report should take this into account when evaluating this information.
The recipient of this report should also note, malpractice settlements may occur several years after the actual incident occurred due to the time a lawsuit takes to move through the legal system. Malpractice claims sometimes are settled for reasons other than physician liability and sometimes are settled by the insurer without the physician's consent. Physicians perform procedures of different complexity and this may affect their risk of malpractice.
Settlement of a claim may occur for a variety of reasons which do not necessarily reflect negatively on the professional competence or conduct of the physician. A payment in settlement of a medical malpractice action or claim should not be construed as creating a presumption that medical malpractice has occurred.
Rhode Island Department of Health