MAGMUTUAL

Healthcare disparities and social determinants of health: An untapped defense strategy in medical malpractice In the evolving world of medical liability, one of the least-explored but potentially most impactful defense strategies lies in understanding the role that healthcare disparities and social determinants of health( SDOH) play in patient outcomes. MagMutual, is looking beyond traditional clinical factors and examining how these societal influences can shape— and sometimes unfairly skew— perceptions of physician performance in malpractice cases.

Factors such as income level, educational attainment, housing stability, transportation access and community resources can profoundly affect a patient’ s ability to follow treatment plans or access timely care. Yet when adverse outcomes occur, these challenges are rarely part of the legal conversation. Instead, physicians are often blamed for outcomes that stem from barriers far outside their control. insurtechdigital. com 53