In the report, "Malpractice Payments Sunk to Record Low in 2011," Public Citizen analyzed data from the federal government's National Practitioner Data Bank, which tracks malpractice payments on behalf of doctors. The report found that the number of medical payments and the inflation-adjusted value of such payments were at their lowest levels since 1991, the earliest full year for which such data is available.

Here are several key findings from the report:

•    The number of malpractice payments by physicians (9,758 payments) was the lowest on record, even after adjusting for inflation.
•    The average medical malpractice payment (about $327,000) declined from previous years.
•    Four-fifths of medical malpractice awards compensated for death, catastrophic harm or serious permanent injuries.
•    Medical malpractice payments made up 0.12 percent of all healthcare costs.

Read the report in full here.

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