Rising Malpractice Claims May Add to Momentum against Opioid Prescriptions

State regulators and insurance companies have been urging physicians to reduce opioid prescriptions for years to protect patient safety, but practitioners may also have an economic incentive: A rising number of malpractice suits. Medical malpractice claims alleging improper chronic pain management have increased from 3% of total suits against anesthesiologists in 1980 to 18% in 2011, according to a study from the University of Washington and the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Of those claims, suits involving improper medication management increased from 2% to 18%. Dermot Fitzgi...