Med Mal Data from South Dakota
The Argus Leader has compiled what it calls a first-ever glimpse at South Dakota med mal cases. It sounds very similar to med mal data from the U.S. as a whole:
The analysis of South Dakota data show that the vast majority of claims made against health providers are dismissed or withdrawn without any payment.
In 2014, insurers reported 163 claims that were either filed or closed. Of those, 28 were dismissed. Another 24 were closed with no payment amount recorded.
In 2015 there were 148 claims filed or closed with the Division, and 48 of those were closed without payment.
In 2014, insurers paid nearly $10.9 million on 27 settlements and one jury verdict. In 2015, that number dropped to nearly $6.4 million on 18 settlements.
In those two years, the largest settlement was $3 million. The average settlement was $367,654. The settlement amounts only reflect what insurance companies paid. They do not include additional amounts paid by health providers.
But getting those settlements can take years for injured patients or their surviving loved ones. The $3 million settlement, for example, took nearly four years from date of injury to settlement.
The full story is here.