The War on Doctors

Expert testimony in malpractice lawsuits turns out not to be very expert after all. Via Paul Hsieh of GeekPress, who is a diagnostic radiologist himself:

The study by Johns Hopkins University radiologists found that medical experts who testified on behalf of plaintiffs in asbestos suits almost always found something suspicious on their X-rays, whether it was asbestos dust or a likely malignant tumor.

But six disinterested radiologists asked to review the same 492 chest X-rays found something wrong only 4.5 percent of the time.

And people wonder why the cost of medical care has gotten so high.