January 25, 2011 by matray

side note: I find this very interesting. In today's partisan political climate, can Sens. Daschle and Frist find common ground to the nation's healthcare ailments? Calling “constructive engagement on health reform vital to our nation’s future,” the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) launched its Health Project on Jan. 18, led by former Senate Majority Leaders Tom Daschle and Bill Frist as well as former Gov. Ted Strickland. “We know there remains a great political divide over the future of the healthcare system, but the need for substantive discussions and cooperation has never been greater,” said Sen. Daschle. “An economically sustainable health system is in our collective interest, and I look forward to working with the states to help them lead the way with health reform. If the states succeed, we as a nation will make significant progress.” The BPC will embark on a comprehensive review of the numerous challenges and opportunities confronting states as they deal with delivery, cost and coverage demands in their health systems. Through a series of private and public discussions, the BPC will engage state, federal, business and workforce leaders over the next year. “The emphasis on a strong, active state role is the most significant element of the new healthcare law, and moving forward we need to continue to create and implement solutions that work for state leaders,” said Sen. Frist, referring to the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act. “While the law is not perfect, it is now the foundation upon which all future reform will be based. Working in close coordination with the states, our project will provide support as they make crucial and often difficult healthcare decisions. We must face our healthcare crisis, and I look forward to making real progress on these issues through this substantive and forward-leaning project.” The BPC Health Project is initially focusing on several key areas of concern: insurance exchanges; insurance reforms; and delivery system reforms, including health information technology, the health professional workforce, healthcare efficiency and medical malpractice reform. For each issue area, the BPC will identify and share best practices among the states and host roundtable discussions to facilitate a thoughtful, bipartisan dialogue among stakeholders at the state and federal level and in the industry and marketplace. “We will be collaborating together to target and highlight a range of solutions, not just one solution, to the many financing and delivery challenges facing the states,” said Gov. Strickland. “To ensure that we are responsive to and truly understand different state needs, our project will seek input and guidance from a broad group of both Republican and Democratic governors. The debate about healthcare reform is ongoing, but it is my hope that our effort will go beyond the rhetoric and deliver pragmatic, practical approaches that work.” Sens. Daschle and Frist as well as Gov. Strickland will lead the project with guidance from healthcare experts and project co-directors Sheila Burke and Chris Jennings. The BPC’s first healthcare project culminated in the release of a bipartisan blueprint for healthcare reform, Crossing Our Lines, by former Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle and Bob Dole in June 2009. The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) is a non-profit organization that was established in 2007 by former Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole and George Mitchell to develop and promote solutions that can attract public support and political momentum in order to achieve real progress.

January 25, 2011 by matray

side note: While Ohio's closed medical professional liability claims experience an uptick in 2009, the total is still down 33 percent from the 5,051 claims that closed cataloged in the report's inaugural edition from 2005. The Ohio Department of Insurance recently issued its fifth annual Ohio Medical Professional Liability Closed Claim Report. Data collected from entities providing medical professional liability coverage to Ohio healthcare providers and healthcare facilities shows a total of 3,344 medical professional liability claims were closed in 2009. Claims that generated an indemnity payment averaged $322,158 per closed claim. Ohio law requires all entities that provide medical professional liability insurance in Ohio—including authorized insurers, surplus lines insurers, risk retention groups and self-insurers—to annually report closed claim data to the Department of Insurance. Claims are reported to the department and included in analysis based on the year in which they reach final outcome. The specific data filed by each reporting entity is confidential and is not subject to public record requests. The department is required to prepare an annual report summarizing the closed claims on a statewide basis. Some key findings in the report include:   • Total Closed Claims: A total of 3,344 closed claims were reported for 2009 by 99 entities. Authorized insurers reported the majority of the closed claims, 1,796. Self-insured entities reported 1,185 closed claims, surplus lines insurers reported 212 closed claims and risk retention groups reported 151 closed claims. For 2008, a total of 3,080 closed claims were reported.   • Indemnity Payments: Seventy-six percent of medical malpractice closed claims resulted in no payment to a claimant. A total of 2,542 closed claims had no indemnity payments while 802, or 24 percent, closed with an indemnity payment. The total amount paid to claimants was $258,370,436, an average of $322,158 per closed claim for those claims that generated an indemnity payment. Based on the combined data of all five years, approximately 22 percent of the closed claims generated an indemnity payment at an average of $287,931.  • Closed Claim Expenses: While most medical malpractice claims closed with no payments to claimants, almost all closed claims generated expenses for investigation and defense. These expenses totaled $107,739,769, an averageof $39,350 per closed claim. Based on the combined data for all five years, the average expenses per closed claim were $32,071.