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16:00 | Applied Micro Research Seminar
Sebastian Panthöfer (Job Talk) “Do Doctors Prescribe Antibiotics Out of Fear of Malpractice?”
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain
Author: Sebastian Panthöfer
Abstract: This paper investigates whether doctors prescribe antibiotics to protect themselves against potential malpractice claims. Using data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey on more than half a million outpatient visits between 1993 and 2011, I find that doctors are 6% less likely to prescribe antibiotics after the introduction of a cap on noneconomic damages. Over 140 million discharge records from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample do not reveal a corresponding change in hospital stays for conditions that can potentially be avoided through antibiotic use in the outpatient setting. These findings, as well as a stylized model of antibiotic prescribing under the threat of malpractice, suggest that liability-reducing tort reforms can decrease the amount of antibiotics that are inappropriately prescribed for defensive reasons.
Keywords: Antibiotic misuse; Antibiotic resistance; Liability pressure; Defensive medicine
JEL Classification: I11, I18, K13
Full Text: “Do Doctors Prescribe Antibiotics Out of Fear of Malpractice?”
