Study: Malpractice laws chasing docs from Illinois

A new study says that half of all graduating medical residents or fellows trained in Illinois are leaving the state to practice elsewhere, a trend researchers blame in part on the state's "toxic" medical malpractice environment.

Researchers from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine asked 561 Illinois medical students where they intended to practice after graduation and why.

Students who planned to leave Illinois, often for Wisconsin or Indiana, cited salary, opportunities to work in their specialty and proximity to family as the most important factors driving their decision.