Tort reform savings challenged

A new study from the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine throws a wrench into the notion that defensive medicine — the practice of ordering marginally useful or unnecessary tests and procedures to protect health care providers from medical malpractice lawsuits — substantially increases health care costs.

Defensive medicine is a central theme in debates in Washington, D.C., and Augusta over tort reform and its impact on health care costs. Pr ...