Medical Specialties Prone to Lawsuits: General Surgery Tops List, Obstetrics and Gynecology Follows 
The Physicians and Malpractice Report 2023 by Medscape sheds light on the specialties most frequently involved in malpractice lawsuits. Legal action can happen if proper provider credentialing requirements for practices are not current. General surgeons, with a staggering 90%, reported being defendants in malpractice suits either as sole defendants or co-defendants, maintaining their top position on the list.
Following general surgery, other specialties facing frequent lawsuits include:
- Obstetrics and Gynecology: 85%
- Orthopedics: 82%
- Plastic Surgery: 73%
- Otolaryngology: 72%
Based on a survey of over 3,000 physicians across 29 specialties, the report outlines that 35% of physicians were solely named in malpractice suits, while 32% were named alongside other parties. Additionally, 49% of physicians experienced being defendants in malpractice suits two to five times, 44% were defendants once, and a smaller fraction (5%) faced lawsuits six to 10 times. This information serves as valuable insight into the trends of malpractice suits across various medical specialties.
