Annual cost of defensive orthopaedic medicine estimated at $2 billion

In a first-ever national survey of orthopaedic surgeons, 96 percent said they have practiced defensive medicine – the ordering of tests, referrals to specialists and hospital admissions primarily to avoid liability and without significant benefit to patients – according to a new study presented today at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). The study estimates the annual cost of defensive orthopaedic care at $2 billion. Eurekalert!