What Is the Most Common Cause of Liability Claims?

​​Diagnostic errors are the most common cause of liability claims, according to a new report from Coverys, a medical liability insurer. Coverys analyzed 10,618 medical professional liability claims closed between 2013 and 2017 for all provider types and found that 33% were related to diagnostic error. Diagnostic errors were also responsible for 47% of indemnity paid out during this period, a greater percentage than for the next five most common causes of claims combined. One third of claims related to diagnostic errors occurred during the initial patient evaluation.