May 16, 2022 by matray

The Medical Professional Liability (MPL) Association awarded Gregg L. Hanson the 2022 Award of Excellence in Honor of Peter Sweetland at its annual conference last week in Salt Lake City. Hanson is being honored for his outstanding contributions and longtime dedication to the MPL insurance community, the MPL Association and healthcare  professionals.

Hanson served as the chief executive officer and president of Coverys from January 2012 until April 2021, where he was responsible for the strategic leadership of the organization, expanding its presence nationwide and establishing an international footprint.

He started his career at Coverys as vice president of underwriting in 2000. He was promoted to senior vice president of underwriting in 2006 and also assumed management responsibility of the Marketing, Risk Management and Healthcare Provider Education departments. Hanson was named the company’s chief operating officer in 2009 and added oversight of the Claims, Human Resources, and IT departments to his responsibilities.

Hanson previously served as senior vice president of southern operations and underwriting for ProNational Insurance Co. Other past positions included numerous executive roles with the St. Paul Insurance Co., encompassing underwriting, marketing and operational management throughout the Midwest and Florida.

Over the years, Hanson has served in various leadership roles within the MPL Association, including as a member of the Board of Directors, the MPL Association PAC Committee, Nominating Committee and Strategic Planning Committee as well as Section Chair of the CEO/COO Meeting.

“Gregg has made a significant positive impact on the Association and the industry as whole,” said James Q. Swift, MD, chair of the MPL Association Board of Directors and director and chair of OMSNIC. “We are extremely appreciative of his service. In particular, his innovative, thoughtful input on our recent strategic planning efforts will serve the Association for years to come. We are pleased to honor him with this well-deserved award.”

“Throughout his career, Gregg demonstrated great dedication to the MPL industry with his work at Coverys and his service to the Association,” said Brian K. Atchinson, president and CEO of the MPL Association. “He has long been a tireless champion of professional development for all those with whom he worked and consistently promoted the importance and value of MPL companies and all those whom they insure.”

The MPL Association Award of Excellence in Honor of Peter Sweetland, established in 1993 by the MPL Association’s Board of Directors, was created in honor of the late Peter Sweetland, one of the Association’s chief architects and most fervent supporters. The award recognizes an individual who has provided exemplary service to the industry and to the MPL Association, and who epitomizes the high ideals and ethics for which Peter Sweetland stood.

May 16, 2022 by matray

The May 2022 issue of Medical Liability Monitor features the following articles and more. Click here to subscribe today.

Corporate Acquisitions Accelerating Surge in Employed Physicians
New research from the Physicians Advocacy Institute (PAI), a nonprofit physician advocacy organization, in conjunction with the healthcare consultancy Avalere Health, indicates almost three quarters (73.9%) of all U.S. physicians were employed by a hospital, health system or other corporate entity as of Jan. 1, 2022, up from 69% at the same point last year. And researchers noted the employed-physician trend accelerated drastically after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic — with 83,000 physicians having transitioned from independent practice since March 2020. …

California Healthcare Providers, Trial Attorneys, Legislators Reach Deal to Increase MICRA Cap
Stakeholders in the decades-long battle over California’s noneconomic damages cap for medical liability jury verdicts announced they have reached a compromise between healthcare, legal and consumer advocates on legislation to modernize the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA). Signed into law in 1975, MICRA established a $250,000 cap on medical malpractice awards for things like pain and suffering, which proponents argued was necessary to balance compensatory justice for injured patients with important legal and financial protections for healthcare providers. The cap has never been adjusted for inflation ...

Virtual or Hybrid Trials, Arbitration Expected to Continue Post-Pandemic
The national law firm Wilson Elser LLP expects virtual and hybrid jury trials, bench trials and arbitrations to continue as the nation and its court systems transition out of the COVID-19 pandemic. The prediction came during the 42-location firm’s recent National Mock Trial Training Program, where senior partners train Wilson Elser’s next generation of trial attorneys …

New York High Court to Determine Who Gets MLMIC Demutualization Money
The New York Court of Appeals, the highest court in the Unified Court System of the State of New York, heard oral arguments last month for a set of related cases questioning who is the rightful beneficiary of monies generated by the demutualization of Medical Liability Mutual Insurance Co. (MLMIC). What’s the question at hand? While the healthcare providers were listed as the policyholders on paper, their employers argue that because the medical practice paid the premium, they are, in fact, the policyholders and are entitled to the demutualization proceeds. The employed healthcare providers counter that the medical liability insurance coverage was part of their work compensation and they deserve the proceeds. …

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