Medical malpractice remains a significant concern for patients, healthcare providers and legal professionals across the U.S., according to a study by Malloy Law Services.
Beyond the personal toll on affected individuals, the study showed these incidents can reveal broader patterns about healthcare quality and safety standards in different regions.
“By examining normalized rates rather than raw numbers, we can identify which states truly have disproportionate malpractice issues relative to their healthcare workforce,” said Seann Malloy, a personal injury law expert at Malloy Law Offices.
The top states with the least medical malpractice include Missouri, New Jersey and Iowa. According to the study, Missouri stands out with the lowest rate of medical malpractice reports at just 29.03 per 1,000 practitioners, while New Jersey ranks second-lowest with 33.68 reports per 1,000 practitioners and Iowa ranks third-lowest with 35.17 reports per 1,000 practitioners.
“Missouri's comparatively low rates may reflect stronger preventative measures, better risk management protocols or more effective communication between providers and patients,” Malloy said. “Their approach could offer valuable lessons for high-malpractice states.”
Meanwhile, “New Jersey's performance is particularly notable given its population density and healthcare complexity,” and “Iowa demonstrates that rural healthcare systems can deliver high-quality care with fewer reported incidents,” he added.
Malloy Law Offices analyzed data from the National Practitioner Data Bank's Medical Malpractice Payment Reports (MMPRs) across all 50 states to understand these geographic variations better. Their study examined reports filed between 2020 and 2024, calculating the average annual number of malpractice reports per 1,000 medical practitioners in each state to account for population differences.
The slideshow above illustrates the top states for medical malpractice as selected by Malloy Law Services.
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