VARIABLES THAT INFLUENCE CONSUMERS INFERENCES ABOUT PHYSICIAN ABILITYAND ACCOUNTABILITY

Previous research has shown that the quality of interpersonal care pro vided by physicians is correlated with the initiation of malpractice l itigation. Unfortunately, this research has not controlled for the eff ects of actual treatment quality or of health outcomes. The research o n which this article is based experimentally manipulates three variabl es: (1) patient involvement with treatment decisions, (2) financial in centives by third party payers to encourage cost-effective medicine, a nd (3) use of new treatment practices that have not been widely adapte d by other physicians.