Primary care physicians, such as family practitioners and general internists, have the highest number of heart-attack-diagnosis-related malpractice claims and the highest average lawsuit payments of any physician specialty.

According to the study by the Physician Insurers Association, which evaluated paid malpractice claims related to heart attacks since January 1985, family physicians faced the highest number of claims (160 of 423 defendants). Internal medicine physicians, who faced the second highest number of claims, had to pay the highest average indemnity payment of any specialty group ($252,100).