There are many different definitions of defensive medicine, none have been considered fairer than others, but they all have one thing in common : Defensive medicine is a way to reduce malpractice litigation. According to an article in the Journal of General Internal Medicine that defines defensive medicine "as the ordering of treatments, tests, and procedures intended primarily to protect the physician from liability rather than to substantially advance the diagnosis or treatment of the patient." , “Physicians in the United States have long believed that they must practice defensive medicine to reduce the risk of litigation” (Hermer, Brody 470). This fear that drives doctors to practice defensive medicine leads them to perform tests that are not necessary, but they would rather be safe than sorry and miss something that makes their patient feel like they did not receive standard care. This is also proven by a point made in the same article: "While perhaps not 'unnecessary' care, defensive medicine is aimed more at providing economic and psychological benefit to the physician than to the patient" ( Hermer, Brody 470). If you were a patient and your doctor did all these tests like plain film x-rays, CT scans, MRI studies, ultrasound studies, and specialty referrals were done for your benefit and to make sure everything was okay for you, but that