Abstract
Candello, the national medical professional liability (MPL) data collaborative of CRICO, the medical malpractice insurer for all Harvard medical institutions and their affiliates undertook a comprehensive retrospective analysis to evaluate malpractice risk associated with the increasing number of nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician associates (PAs) in the health care workforce. The report analyzed 65,754 asserted MPL cases and 69,782 closed MPL cases between 2012 and 2021 to compare those involving NPs and PAs to those involving medical doctors (MDs). Despite increasing use of NPs and PAs, there was no observed increase in the proportion of MPL claims involving these practitioners. The analysis also includes the differences in case characteristics by provider type, including contributing factors, clinical severity, and location. The data showed no significant differences in medical malpractice risk between NPs, PAs, and MDs based on the analysis of these characteristics. However, these data show the likelihood of indemnity, and the average paid is higher in cases involving multiple providers.