AMA flags specialty malpractice risk

The American Medical Association published a new research brief on April 27 showing wide differences in malpractice-claim exposure across physician specialties, with obstetrics and gynecology and general surgery at the top of the list. The analysis used 2016-2024 data from the AMA Physician Practice Benchmark Survey, which the group says is nationally representative and includes both paid and unpaid claims. Matchpal, a residency-advising company, later circulated the specialty figures on X, where they became a fresh reference point in discussions about specialty risk. The AMA said 28.7% of physicians in 2024 had been sued at least once in their careers, down from 34.0% in 2016. ### Which specialties had the highest lifetime lawsuit risk? The AMA said obstetricians-gynecologists had the highest lifetime risk in its 2024 data, with 59.6% reporting they had been sued at least once in their careers. General surgeons were next at 53.1%, according to the AMA press release and report summary. The 2026 AMA report also said physicians in emergency medicine, general surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedic surgery and radiology consistently faced significantly higher liability risk than physicians in internal medicine across multiple measures. (ama-assn.org) Matchpal’s post highlighted other procedural fields, including urology and ENT, as part of the broader specialty conversation, but the AMA summary surfaced in search results specifically names emergency medicine, orthopedic surgery and radiology alongside OB-GYN and general surgery. ### What exactly did the AMA measure? The AMA report measured whether physicians had been sued in the previous year, whether they had ever been sued in their careers, and the number of claims filed against them over their careers. The association said its survey captures both paid and unpaid claims, unlike the National Practitioner Data Bank, which excludes claims without indemnity payments. (ama-assn.org) Allen Hardiman, the AMA’s lead economist and author of the April 2026 report, wrote that “being sued is not necessarily indicative of medical error.” The AMA press release made the same point, with AMA President Bobby Mukkamala saying a claim “does not mean a mistake was made” and that most cases never find fault with the physician. (ama-assn.org) ### How much did age change the odds? The AMA said malpractice exposure rose with time in practice. In 2024, 45.2% of physicians age 55 and older said they had been sued at least once, compared with 22.2% of physicians ages 45 to 54 and 11.0% of physicians under 45. Among older physicians in the highest-risk surgical fields, the figures were higher still. (ama-assn.org) The AMA said nearly 75% of obstetricians-gynecologists and general surgeons age 55 and older had been sued at least once in their careers. ### Did the overall lawsuit rate rise or fall? In 2024, 1.8% of physicians said they had been sued in the previous 12 months, down from 2.3% in 2016, the AMA report said. (ama-assn.org) The share who had ever been sued also fell over that period, to 28.7% from 34.0%. A separate AMA report released the same day said medical liability insurance premiums rose in 2025 for the seventh consecutive year. (ama-assn.org) The association said 39.9% of reported premiums increased year over year in 2025, and 36 states saw at least one premium increase. ### Why are these figures being cited now? (ama-assn.org) Matchpal reposted the AMA specialty figures on X, tying the data to specialty-choice discussions among medical trainees. The company markets specialty-specific mentorship and residency advising, according to its website. The AMA has also kept the issue in circulation through new research pages and follow-up coverage on its site. (ama-assn.org) On May 4, the association published an article linking the claim-frequency report to its separate premium report and said it would hold a webinar on medical liability trends and reform on May 20. (matchpalmedical.com) On May 20, the AMA is scheduled to host that webinar on legislative trends, research and advocacy efforts related to medical liability, according to its website. The underlying claim-frequency report remains available on the AMA research page published April 27, 2026. (ama-assn.org)