defensive medicine
noun
: the practice of ordering medical tests, procedures, or consultations of doubtful clinical value in order to protect the prescribing physician from malpractice suits
Examples of defensive medicine in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And hefty verdicts encourage defensive medicine—doctors aiming to shield themselves order unnecessary tests, which pushes up health care costs.
—
Glen Luke Flanagan, Fortune, 5 July 2024
The exact amount of spending increase is unknown, but some estimate that defensive medicine adds at least $55 billion per year to U.S. healthcare costs.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 2 July 2024
Initiate tort reform, to help alleviate the practice of defensive medicine.
—Carolyn Barber, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2020
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Glen Luke Flanagan, Fortune, 5 July 2024
The exact amount of spending increase is unknown, but some estimate that defensive medicine adds at least $55 billion per year to U.S. healthcare costs.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 2 July 2024
Initiate tort reform, to help alleviate the practice of defensive medicine.
—Carolyn Barber, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Defensive medicine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defensive%20medicine. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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