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Reputation, Malpractice Liability, and Medical Error

William M. Sage
University of Texas at Austin School of Law

ACCOUNTABILITY: PATIENT SAFETY AND POLICY REFORM, Virginia A. Sharpe, ed., Georgetown University Press, 2004, Copyright

Abstract:
Health care providers have strong feelings about medical malpractice litigation, feelings that often seem at odds with measurable characteristics of the malpractice system. These (mis)perceptions influence the delivery of health care, and are therefore socially important notwithstanding their subjectivity. This speculative essay traces such paradoxes of malpractice policy to the concept of reputation, examining both historical trends and potential future developments such as enterprise liability.

Keywords: medical malpractice, physician, tort, reputation, norms

JEL Classifications: I18, K13, K32, K41

Accepted Paper Series

Date posted: March 11, 2005 ; Last revised: June 15, 2005

Suggested Citation

Sage, William M., Reputation, Malpractice Liability, and Medical Error. ACCOUNTABILITY: PATIENT SAFETY AND POLICY REFORM, Virginia A. Sharpe, ed., Georgetown University Press, 2004, Copyright. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=681925

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Contact Information

William Matthew Sage (Contact Author)

University of Texas at Austin School of Law ( email )

727 East Dean Keeton Street
Austin, TX 78705
United States