The Doctors Company, the nation’s largest physician-owned medical malpractice insurer, today released “Plastic Surgery Claims: July Malpractice Risk Review,” the newest edition in a monthly series of specialty-focused analyses designed to support patient safety and clinical risk management.
Each month in 2026, The Doctors Company will explore malpractice risk trends in a different medical specialty, offering evidence-based insights drawn from real claims data to help clinicians and healthcare leaders better understand how patient harm occurs and why negligence allegations arise.
“Plastic Surgery Claims: July Malpractice Risk Review,” available at thedoctors.com/plasticsurgeryMRR, brings together three complimentary analyses that highlight key areas of risk within plastic surgery practices:
- Contributing factors to patient harm: Identifies common drivers of plastic surgery malpractice claims, including technical skill and issues related to patient behavior.
- Negligence allegations: Analyzes negligence allegations in plastic surgery to help clinicians and staff proactively identify and address risk.
- Case summary for delayed diagnosis of bowel perforation during liposuction: Illustrates the importance of communication and documentation for safe patient care, including informed consent, postoperative instructions, timely diagnosis of complications, and patient follow-up.
“Malpractice claims provide a powerful lens into how and why patient harm occurs,” said Julie Ritzman, MBA, CPHRM, Senior Vice President, Patient Safety and Risk Management, The Doctors Company, part of TDC Group. “By analyzing claims, we can uncover patterns that may be missed in day-to-day practice for plastic surgeons. These insights help clinicians strengthen communication, sharpen clinical decision-making, and improve care processes, while supporting safer care for every patient.”