August 8, 2024 by matray

Below are some headlines and article synopses from the August 2024 issue of Medical Liability Monitor. To read the articles in their entirety, please subscribe today.

Georgia Supreme Court Rules COVID Orders Tolled Statute of Limitations
The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled last month that a statewide COVID-19 judicial emergency order issued in March 2020 can be applied to toll, or pause, the state’s five-year statute of repose for medical liability cases. The unanimous decision overturns a prior unanimous decision by the Georgia Court of Appeals that prevented a medical professional liability claim against Floyd Medical Center from proceeding …

Study Shows risks of Integrating AI Into Medical decision-making
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that an artificial intelligence (AI) model solved medical quiz questions — designed to test health professionals’ ability to diagnose patients based on clinical images and a brief text summary — with high accuracy. However, physician-graders found the AI model made mistakes when describing images and explaining how its decision-making led to the correct answer. The findings, which shed light on AI’s potential in the clinical setting, were published in npj Digital Medicine. The study was led by researchers from NIH’s National Library of Medicine and Weill Cornell Medicine, New York City, N.Y. …

California Court of Appeal Affirms Medical Liability Plaintiff Attorneys Lacking Expert Testimony Open to Malicious Prosecution Claims
The California Court of Appeal for the Second District, Fourth Division last month affirmed that plaintiff attorneys who bring medical liability actions without expert testimony are open to malicious prosecution claims …

Michigan Supreme Court Expands Admissibility of Expert Testimony in Medical Liability Lawsuits
The Michigan Supreme Court issued two opinions last month that broaden the scope of admissible expert witness testimony in medical liability lawsuits. The first opinion involved expert testimony that lower courts determined inadmissible because the expert failed to cite any published medical literature or other authority to support their opinion that the defendants had breached the standard of care. The second opinion combined two medical liability cases where plaintiffs’ expert witnesses did not practice the same subspecialty as the defendant physician …

Louisiana Adds Transparency to Third-Party Litigation Financing
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry recently signed into law a bill that will contribute greater transparency about the involvement of third-party litigation funders in subsidizing civil litigation in the state. The new statute, Senate Bill 355, went into effect on August 1, and makes litigation financing contracts subject to discovery in civil liability lawsuits …

Coverys Expands London Insurance Platform with Regulatory Approval
Coverys announced last month that its dedicated London platform Coverys Ltd. received approval from the UK’s Prudential Regulatory Authority and Financial Conduct Authority to commence underwriting medical liability risk. The approvals enable the organization to expand its product offerings in the London market, supporting Coverys’ global growth and diversification strategy. Coverys Ltd. is part of Coverys’ dedicated London platform, which includes both an insurance company and managing general agent operations, collectively “Coverys London” …

Subscribe today to get this issue (as well as the 2023 and 2024 Annual Rate Survey at no additional cost).

August 1, 2024 by matray

Ryan Specialty, an international specialty insurance firm, announced that it is forming an exclusive relationship with MagMutual Insurance Co. This relationship is through Sapphire Blue, which specializes in developing sophisticated solutions to complex healthcare risks, and is a part of the firm’s underwriting specialty, Ryan Specialty Underwriting Managers.

Sapphire Blue underwrites senior living and allied healthcare liability and will become MagMutual’s exclusive underwriter for policyholders outside the traditional physician and hospital model, most significantly as related to senior living and allied healthcare facilities.

According to Ryan Specialty, the exclusive relationship will strengthen product innovation, customer service, and risk management.

“MagMutual is a leader in the physicians and hospital professional liability insurance market, and we are pleased to strategically align our healthcare practice with them,” said Patrick Ryan, founder, chairman and chief executive at Ryan Specialty. “We appreciate the collaboration of Neil Morrell and MagMutual’s talented team during this process, and we look forward to jointly bringing innovation and greater customer solutions to our clients and their insureds.”

“Bringing together the two most positively disruptive, fastest-growing and customer-focused organizations in healthcare liability insurance is an exciting prospect for our current and future agents and customers,” said Neil Morrell, MagMutual chief executive officer. “The synergies are not only self-evident, they are potentially transformative.”

"The collective experience, expertise and brand recognition of our two organizations is exceptional in the healthcare liability marketplace,” said Nancy McMahon, Saphire Blue chief executive officer. “Together we will expand our healthcare liability products and offerings to better serve those who care for others.”