Fake Facts

POSTED BY FROSTY TROY

One of the arguments you hear from those in favor of tort "reform" is the false claim that Oklahoma is losing doctors and liability insurance premiums are unbearably high.

The claim is that Oklahoma is losing doctors in high-risk fields such as emergency medicine and obstetrics.

Are there big malpractice liability payouts that help fuel high insurance rates for doctors?

Before you fall for this fairy tale, check with Hugh Robert, executive director of the Oklahoma Center for Consumer and Patient Safety. He says both contentions are wrong.

The number of doctors in Oklahoma is actually rising and lawsuit outcomes prove that Oklahoma is hardly a jackpot jury haven.

Oklahoma losing doctors? Hardly. In 1997, according to data from the Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision, 4,787 medical doctors were practicing in the state, including 166 emergency physicians and 276 practicing obstetrics, gynecology or both, including ob-gyn surgical specialists.

By 2007, the total had risen by more than 900 to 5,718, including 283 ER doctors and 395 in the ob/gyn fields. However, the number of the latter had dropped from 414 in 2004.

When it comes to osteopathic physicians, data from the Oklahoma Osteopathic Association shows that in 1997 there were a total of 880 doctors licensed to practice in Oklahoma, not including retirees, interns and residents.

In 2007, the osteopathic association listed 1,324 licensed doctors in Oklahoma, including 143 ER doctors and 58 in the ob/gyn field.

Federation of State Medical Boards shows that Oklahoma ranks 43rd per capita for the number of doctors practicing in the state, just above Arkansas. Texas ranked 49th, Kansas 24th, New Mexico 31st.

In Oklahoma, between 2002 and 2006, population growth in Oklahoma was 2.54%, according to the U.S. Census. The doctor population has grown at 7.93%.

Somebody please read this to the editorial writers at the Daily Disappointment.