ER doctors: Lawsuit fears lead to overtesting Posted: 06.21.2010
at 6:18 AM  CHICAGO (AP) -- In the debate over whether doctors
may be ordering too many medical tests, the hospital emergency
room is a focal point for the question, is it overkill or good
care?  The fear of missing something always weighs heavily but
the stakes are highest in the ER, often leading to extra blood
tests and imaging scans for what may be harmless aches, pains
and bumps.  Many ER doctors say the No. 1 reason is fear of
malpractice lawsuits.  ER physicians are among the top 10
specialists most likely to be sued for malpractice, according to
leading doctor and insurers groups.  The fast ER pace plays a
role, too. It's much quicker to order a test than to ask a
patient lots of questions.  And many patients think every ache
and pain deserves a high-tech test.  National data suggest there
are more than 116 million ER visits each year nationwide, and
rising.