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The objective of this study was to present the characteristics of non-spinal musculoskeletal malpractice suits with attention to rates, anatomic location, and payments in a survey of 8,265 radiologists. The malpractice histories of 8,265 radiologists from 36 states were evaluated from credentialing data required of all radiologists participating in the network of One Call Medical, Inc., a broker for imaging tests in workmen's compensation cases. Twenty six hundred of the 8,265 radiologists (31.5 %) had at least one suit. Of the 4,741 total claims, 627 (13.2 %) were related to the bones and soft tissues. Four hundred seventeen (66.1 %) of them involved the musculoskeletal system other than the spine. A cause was known for 400. Of these, 91.8 % (367/400) resulted from an alleged failure to diagnose. The foot was the most common site with a rate 6.00 cases/1,000 radiologist's person years (95 % confidence interval (CI), 4.68-7.68), and the hip was second with a rate of 5.30 cases/1,000 person years (95 % CI, 4.15-6.76). The highest median payment related to ankle injuries with a median settlement of $72,500 (interquartile range (IQR), $40,000-$161,250). The state in which the highest median settlement occurred was Maryland ($125,000; IQR, $95,000-$230,000)) whereas Utah had the highest rate of suits (5.24 cases per 1,000 person years; CI, 3.03-9.04). Claims regarding foot and hip injury were the most common, but ankle settlements incurred the highest awards.

Purpose: To determine the readability of Internet-based patient education materials (IPEMs) created by United States hospitals and universities and clinical practices and miscellaneous health care-associated Web sites regarding uterine artery embolization (UAE) as a marker for IPEMs in general., Methods and Methods: Two hundred unique Web sites were evaluated for patient-related articles on UAE. Web sites produced by US hospitals and universities and clinical practices, as well as miscellaneous health care-associated Web sites meeting the Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct criteria were included in the database. By using mathematical regression algorithms based on word and sentence length to quantitatively analyze reading materials for language intricacy, readability of 40 UAE-related IPEMs was assessed with four indices: Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES), Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG), and Gunning Frequency of Gobbledygook (GFOG). Scores were evaluated against national recommendations, and intergroup analysis was performed., Results: None of the IPEMs were written at or below the sixth-grade reading level, based on FKGL. The mean readability scores were as follows: FRES, 43.98; FKGL, 10.76; SMOG, 13.63; and GFOG, 14.55. These scores indicate that the readability of UAE IPEMs is written at an advanced level, significantly above the recommended 6th grade reading level (P<.05) determined by the United States Department of Health and Human Services., Conclusions: IPEMs related to UAE generated by hospitals, clinical practices, and miscellaneous health care-associated Web sites are written above the recommended sixth grade level. IPEMs for other disease entities may also reflect similar results., (Copyright © 2013 SIR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)