Failures of communication may increase a physician's risk of being involved in malpractice litigation, but automated systems such as EHRs that manage communication between referring physicians may improve patient safety and reduce the risk of lawsuits, according to a new study.

A team of researchers from SUNY Downstate Medical Center reported in the Journal of the American College of Radiology that malpractice payments related to diagnoses increased by 40 percent during the course of the last decade. Miscommunications between physicians have been the root cause of most of these cases.

Their investigation showed that malpractice payments increased by an average of $4.7 million annually from 1991 to 2009. Communication breakdowns accounted for 7 percent of the total increase.

The team wrote in their report that practices should consider transitioning to more automated systems to reduce the risk of incurring a lawsuit as a result of breakdowns in communication. EHR systems are one way for physicians at different practices to share data with each other and ensure that accurate diagnoses are reached.