TABLE 2.

Characteristics of Malpractice Claims Against Pediatricians

Total no. of claims	404
Claim outcomes
Claims with payment, n (%)	83 (20.5)
With payment ≥$750 000, n (%)	18 (4.5)
With payment ≥$1 million, n (%)	15 (3.7)
Mean time to resolution, mo (SD)	23.4 (21.8)
Mean indemnity payment, $ (SD)	562 180 (719 492)
Median indemnity payment, $ (interquartile range)	187 546 (1 092 334)
Patient age at time of incident, n (%)
<1 mo	198 (49.0)
1–12 mo	100 (24.8)
>1 y	106 (26.2)
Type of injury, n (%)
Fatality	131 (32.4)
Permanent injury	172 (42.6)
Temporary or psychological	101 (25.0)
Physician age, y, n (%)
30–39	57 (14.1)
40–49	143 (35.4)
≥50	204 (50.5)

Malpractice claims are from all pediatricians covered by a nationwide liability insurer (n = 1630 pediatricians, 7581 physician-years of coverage). Patient age at time of incident was divided into 3 categories: <1 mo old, between 1 and 12 mo, and >1 y.