Medical Professionals Draw Thousands Of Complaints Every Year In The U.S.: But Which Medical Specialists Top The List?
In the U.S. in 2024, there were 50,555 malpractice and disciplinary action reports, with many medical procedures subject to complaints and claims. However, some medical practitioners drew far more complaints than others, with some states subject to disproportionate complaints and malpractice claims.
This study will pinpoint the practitioners and states with the most complaints and claims, the practitioners with the best reputations, and some of the reasons for disparities and general U.S. healthcare issues.
Medical Misconduct: Worst Practitioners And States
Of the 50,555 malpractice and disciplinary action reports in the U.S. in 2024, 39,167 were adverse action reports, while the remaining 11,388 were medical malpractice payment reports. The medical malpractice payments totaled a whopping $4.93 billion: an average of $433,000 per claim.
Yet there’s a much more significant issue behind these lawsuits. Every year in the U.S. diagnostic errors alone cause an estimated 800,000 deaths or permanent disabilities. The errors, which often involve missed or delayed diagnoses for conditions like cancer or stroke, represent an enormous healthcare system failure.
Practitioners Under Fire – Most Reported Medical Professionals
In 2024, the healthcare professionals who were subject to the most reported malpractice and disciplinary actions were registered nurses and physicians (MDs), with over 12,000 reports each.
Practical nurses were next, with over 5,800 reports, while therapists and counselors, technicians and assistants, nursing para-professionals, and dentists also ranked among the top 10.
While physicians are often the focal point in medical accountability discussions, this data highlights the broader spectrum of patient care roles in healthcare and emphasizes how safety and conduct issues extend beyond the operating room.
The numbers also point towards a significant issue: sheer patient numbers and frontline exposure to masses of patients are primary contributory factors when it comes to high report counts across a range of professions. This reinforces the need for systemic improvements in training, oversight, and workplace support.
Medical Practitioners With Fewest Complaints
At the other end of the scale of the complaints, many healthcare professionals were subject to comparatively few reports about their conduct. Optometrists had the lowest report count nationwide, with just 139 documented cases. Dental hygienists and assistants (332 reports), psychologists (344), podiatrists (355), and chiropractors (510) were other low-ranked medical practitioners.
These relatively low numbers reflect a combination of less direct involvement in high-risk medical procedures, smaller patient volumes, and less likelihood of committing a serious error in their particular role.
While no medical role is (or should be) immune to scrutiny, these figures suggest that certain medical specialties represent an inherently lower overall risk of formal complaints or legal action.
Top Ten States For Medical Misconduct
In 2024, California led the nation when it came to medical malpractice and disciplinary action reports, with a staggering 4,750 cases. Texas was next up with 4,362 reports, with Florida (3,337), Michigan (2,696), and Ohio (2,212) rounding off the top five.
All five top states for malpractice and disciplinary reports share common traits: large populations, major urban healthcare systems, and a disproportionately high volume of patient-provider interactions.
But while more people often means more incidents, there are other factors to consider. For example, the data raises questions about how system-wide issues such as provider burnout, hospital overcrowding, and insufficient managerial oversight can lead to an increase in negative reports in America’s busiest states.
The ten states with the fewest documented malpractice and disciplinary actions offer a stark contrast to the national hotspots. At the very bottom of the list, the District of Columbia recorded just 52 reports, with Hawaii not too far behind (86 reports). Here’s a full list of the ten states with the fewest malpractice and disciplinary actions.
- The District of Columbia 52 (reports of malpractice or disciplinary action)
- Hawaii 86
- South Dakota 128
- North Dakota 130
- Idaho 144
- Vermont 144
- Wyoming 152
- New Hampshire 155
- Alaska 157
- Montana 158
As with the list of the highest number of reports, which is partially explained by high population numbers, the lowest report figures to some extent reflect low population sizes, as well as fewer healthcare providers. However, the low numbers may also suggest underreporting or a limited legal infrastructure in more rural or remote regions, highlighting a potential blind spot in public oversight.
Ten States with the Highest Rate Of Incidents Per 1,000 Providers
Our study analysis reveals that Michigan has the highest rate of reported healthcare incidents in the U.S.: 87.31 reports per 1,000 licensed providers. Louisiana is close behind with 72.70, followed by Wisconsin at 69.57: Colorado (66.57) and Georgia (65.63) round out the top five, highlighting a consistently high number of reports in both the Midwest and South.
The next five states on the list include Minnesota (63.72), California (63.62), Missouri (61.19), Arkansas (60.75), and Connecticut (60.47). Although these states offer a varied cross-section of region and healthcare system sizes, all share a relatively high number of disciplinary action reports and malpractice payments, plus other reportable incidents per provider.
These figures may reflect more focused state-level oversight, more high-risk specialties, or serious systemic problems that lead to more frequent reports. Whatever the explanation, the study results provide an important look at where healthcare accountability is most visible or most needed.
Methodology
We used data from the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) to compare how often healthcare providers are reported for issues like disciplinary actions or malpractice.
We found out how many licensed healthcare providers there are in each of the 50 U.S. states – doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and therapists – before considering the number of reports filed against providers in each case.
To make fair comparisons, we calculated how many reports there are for every 1,000 licensed providers. This helped us measure which states have the highest rates of reported incidents relative to their healthcare workforce.
A Closer Look At Connecticut
In Connecticut, of 486 total complaint reports, registered nurses were the practitioners subject to the highest number of filed complaints (161) with physicians (MDs) closely behind (154). Practical nurses accounted for 34 cases, while advanced practice nurses and social workers were subject to 15 reports apiece.
Other notable practitioner report numbers included dentists (21), technicians and assistants (12), physician assistants (5), and pharmacists (3). Additional medically related professionals subject to complaints included nursing para-professionals (7), podiatrists (6), psychologists (4), and chiropractors (3).
The spread of complaint reports illustrates how frontline caregivers like registered nurses and physicians bear the brunt of official opprobrium, with other types of Connecticut practitioners subject to significantly fewer formal actions. Connecticut’s data reflects a national pattern: the roles that draw the highest number of complaints are those that feature the highest numbers of tactile practitioners.
Diagnostic Errors
Misdiagnoses are often due to a combination of mistaken attribution of symptoms to other illnesses or ailments, poor and fragmented communication, and broad system-level failures.
According to a 2023 Johns Hopkins study, the five most misdiagnosed medical conditions are stroke, sepsis, pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, and lung cancer. Together, these five conditions collectively comprise nearly 40% of all serious consequences resulting from diagnostic mistakes. These illnesses are notoriously difficult to spot early, as they often present with vague or overlapping symptoms.
For example, up to 17.5% of strokes are initially misdiagnosed as benign issues like migraine or intoxication. Similarly, early signs of sepsis are sometimes written off as flu-like symptoms, which could significantly delay life-saving treatment.
Such diagnostic issues can lead to severe and often irreversible outcomes, such as brain damage from an untreated stroke, or rapid deterioration due to an undiagnosed infection.
Although technology has helped to improve diagnostic accuracy, human factors like time pressure, incomplete data, and poor communication mean that errors in judgment can still lead to delayed care.
Data by The Decade
Over the past decade, the number of malpractice and disciplinary reports in the U.S. has declined by nearly 20%, dropping from 62,886 in 2014 to 50,555 in 2024. The biggest drop occurred between 2020 and 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic hit. During this period, complaint reports fell sharply due to disrupted care, postponed procedures, and delayed legal proceedings.
Adverse actions following reports, such as license suspensions, saw a 26% decrease, from a peak of 52,782 in 2016 to just 39,167 in 2024.
In contrast, medical malpractice payment reports have remained at a consistent level over the same period, averaging between 11,500 and 12,500 each year; a dip in 2021 (9,304 reports) was an anomaly, as 2024 numbers showed (11,388).
This data suggests that while regulatory actions are down, malpractice payments have held steady. So, while a consistently high number of serious clinical errors continue to occur, concurrent non-financial disciplinary punishment methods seem less strict.
Counting The Cost Of A Public Health Crisis
Of the 50,000+ malpractice and disciplinary action reports in the U.S. in 2024, physicians and registered nurses topped the list of most reported professionals with over 12,000 reports each. Practical nurses, therapists, counselors, and technicians also ranked high, revealing the broad spectrum of roles impacted by oversight and litigation. And while big states like California, Texas, and Florida led in total report volume, by adjusting for workforce size, we can see a very different picture, with Michigan showing the highest rate of reported incidents per 1,000 providers at 87.31, followed by Louisiana (72.70) and Wisconsin (69.57). The top 10 also included Colorado, Georgia, Minnesota, California, Missouri, Arkansas, and Connecticut, all of which exceeded 60 reports per 1,000 providers.
Ultimately, these findings raise serious questions about practitioner burnout, how performance and conduct are measured, and the enormous strain on our healthcare system. It’s true that some roles – optometrists, dental hygienists, and psychologists, for example, each drawing less than 400 complaint reports nationwide – are less problematic than others. But with over 800,000 deaths or permanent disabilities caused every year by diagnostic errors, we urgently need to address the main areas of complaint to begin to deliver a solution to the problem.
And while malpractice lawsuits are often framed as rare or exaggerated, the long-term financial burden they create is quietly baked into the cost of care. Hospitals, physicians, and insurers pass on the risk through rising insurance premiums, inflated treatment prices, and defensive medicine practices that push unnecessary tests and procedures. Add in the costs of long-term care for patients permanently harmed by diagnostic errors (many of whom may be permanently affected) and malpractice becomes a hidden healthcare tax. The lawsuits may grab headlines, but the cumulative financial burden borne by everyday patients makes it a true economic crisis.
The sheer scale of harm, cost, and human consequence means medical accountability is far more than a legal issue: it’s a public health crisis that demands systemic reform.
Here at Claggett, Sykes & Garza, we’ve won over $1.5 billion from verdicts and settlements for our clients. If you’ve been injured due to a medical provider’s negligence, we can help – get in touch today to speak to one of the team.
Data sources
The National Practitioner Data Bank
BMJ Journal
Johns Hopkins Medicine