The National Practitioner Data Bank ranks states based on the annualized rates of malpractice payments, licensure actions and hospital privilege restrictions per 1,000 physicians. These rankings cover 50 states and the District of Columbia from 1990 to 1999. They are ranked below, with No. 1 having the highest number of reports per 1,000 doctors in each category.

Opinions vary on the significance of the ranking. Experts believe many hospitals, for example, fail to report privilege restrictions Also, disparities in licensure actions may reflect differences among state licensing boards.

Key
MP = malpractice payments per 1,000 physicians
LA = licensure actions per 1,000 physicians
PR = privilege restrictions per 1,000 physicians