defensive medicine
noun
: the practice of ordering medical tests, procedures, or consultations of doubtful clinical value in order to protect the prescribing physician from malpractice suits
Examples of defensive medicine in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And hefty verdicts encourage defensive medicine—doctors aiming to shield themselves order unnecessary tests, which pushes up health care costs.
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Glen Luke Flanagan, Fortune, 5 July 2024
The exact amount of spending increase is unknown, but some estimate that defensive medicine adds at least $55 billion per year to U.S. healthcare costs.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 2 July 2024
Initiate tort reform, to help alleviate the practice of defensive medicine.
—Carolyn Barber, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2020
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Glen Luke Flanagan, Fortune, 5 July 2024
The exact amount of spending increase is unknown, but some estimate that defensive medicine adds at least $55 billion per year to U.S. healthcare costs.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 2 July 2024
Initiate tort reform, to help alleviate the practice of defensive medicine.
—Carolyn Barber, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2020
Dictionary Entries Near defensive medicine
Cite this Entry
“Defensive medicine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defensive%20medicine. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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