Doctors in recent years have admitted to and have been accused of prescribing additional tests or procedures to justify their care, strengthen support for their decisions or simply to corraborate their diagnosis. This defensiveness is a result of law suits, malpractice claims and the onslaught of external UR entities questioning care decisions. Defensive medicine is said to be one of the primary causes of the increasing cost of health care. Many physicians and the AMA fight for tort reform to reduce the need for defensive medicine.
Use of tests, treatments, procedures, or other medical services by physicians solely or primarily to minimize the threat of a malpractice lawsuit.
Physician practices solely to reduce risk of a liability claim (e.g., performing diagnostic test of marginal value).
Testing, treatment or other medical procedures that are not medically necessary for the treatment of a patient and are performed solely or primarily for the purpose of limiting a provider's legal liability.
Defensive Medicine is the Diagnostic or therapeutic measures conducted primarily as a safeguard against possible malpractice liability. Fear of litigation has been cited http://society.guardian.co.uk/health/comment/0,7894,1450447,00.html as the driving force behind defensive medicine.