Characteristics of obstetricians and gynecologists (OB/GYN) with malpractice reports in the national practitioner data bank

The increase in medical malpractice insurance premiums and litigation risks are widely recognized for physicians, especially those in a high risk specialty such as OB/GYN. However, little is known about the characteristics of OB/GYNs with medical malpractice payment reports (MMPRs) in the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB). After obtaining physician specialty from an external data source, MMPR records for 19,765 OB/GYNs were analyzed to obtain characteristics. While OB/GYN has historically been a male dominated field, females have increasingly entered OB/GYN practices over the last decade. Most females experienced their first MMPR between 25 and 44 years of age while males were between 35 and 54. Between 1991 and 2011, the number of OB/GYNs with MMPRs decreased by 52%, mostly driven by a substantial decrease for males, while there was relatively little change among females. Females exhibited higher risk of MMPRs in the first 10 years of service than males. The 3-year average payment amounts indicated an upward trend even when adjusted for inflation. Our analyses also revealed variations along age and gender boundaries with regard to the malpractice payment amounts associated with these reports. In spite of the decrease in the number of OB/GYNs with MMPRs, their associated 3-year average payment amounts indicated an upward trend even when adjusted for inflation. Additional in-depth studies are needed at the regional and state level to further investigate this phenomenon.