The Physicians can be sued?

Op-Ed Columnist - Kill the Rhinos! - NYTimes.com: "They feed on fuel sources deep in our system: expensive technological progress, the self-interest of the millions of people who make their living off the system, the public’s desire to get the best care for nothing, the fee-for-service payment system and so on"

Both Paul Krugman and David Brooks, from who the citation is taken, bring up the problem of the large costs of the American health care system compared to other countries. They mention the so called fee-for-service system of payment. Physicians order tests and other procedures that they think are reasonable for the patient, which sounds OK to most people. However, these procedures are not directly linked to the results of the treatment, and perhaps more importantly, patients sue their physicians in the US. Therefore the physician is covering his back with a lot of tests and procedures.

In other words there is a lack of trust in the system which is somewhat paradoxical since it is known to everybody that the health care is at least as good in the US as in other countries, even if they don't seem to get much of a bonus for all the cost.

It seems to me that a public, single-payer system might be best to avoid suits? Perhaps then of the Mayo Clinic variety? Perhaps it would be possible to limit the amount of suits by prohibiting them, but then again, we are touching on a fundamental difference between Americans and Europeans...and Canadians? On the other hand Americans are economical, maybe they forget their right of suing if that get to pay half the price?

I should note that I'm drawing these conclusions from the comparison with the Swedish system.