Report: Medical malpractice payments have hit a record low.

Fierce Healthcare (7/18, Cheung) reports, "Malpractice payments hit a record low in 2011, according to a report from consumer advocacy group Public Citizen." The article notes that "the number of malpractice payments on behalf of doctors (9,758 payments) was the lowest since 1991, the first full year of data after the NPDB started collecting information. The average size of medical malpractice payments (about $327,000) amounted to $3.2 billion, adjusted for inflation."